We Stand United
by EmmyR
Summary: Harry brought back Pettigrew at the end of the Third Task, changing the course of the war. With his godfather by his side, he learns the importance of having allies during turbulent times, even if they are unexpected. How will the Wizarding world react to this new, proactive Harry?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first HP fic that I'm putting on this site. I've been writing it for months, and debating on whether or not to post it, and decided that I would give it a shot and see if anyone would be interested in it. It's already WAY longer than anything I've written before, and I'm barely halfway there. I'm not sure if I'll do it in two stories, or keep it under this one, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. **

**As I truly detest flames, I have a very extensive author's note at the end of this chapter. Normally, I don't give anything away about my stories, as I prefer my readers to be a bit surprised, but I'd rather cut down on the amount of scathing reviews I might get. My notion? Don't like, don't read. Simple as that.  
**

**Well, I hope you all enjoy the ride. I'm not sure how often updates are going to happen, but I'll try to be at least somewhat consistent.  
**

**Disclaimer: I'm not going to do one of these per update, as they get very tired after a while so I'll be very clear on this one: I do not own anything in regards to Harry Potter, who belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling. What I am writing, I am doing for my own enjoyment, and am making no money off of it.  
**

* * *

Harry ran, ignoring the pain in his leg; hell, the pain all over. He zigzagged between tombstones, weaving around the spells that were being cast his way. Only one thing mattered: get to Cedric and the cup. He knew that he only had moments before the shadows of his parents would blind him from the deadly aim of Voldemort.

He took a running slid across the grass, landing next to his onetime opponent. Just as he gripped the other teen's wrist, holding up his wand, he felt the air shimmer. A CRACK announced someone Apparating close by, and he whirled around to face him. His face contorted with rage as he saw Peter. This was the man who had betrayed his parents, who had caused him to suffer for years with relatives who hated him, who framed Harry's godfather which landed him in hell on earth for years. Now he'd helped to torture Harry, killed Cedric, and returned Voldemort to his body.

As though he was watching someone else right then, he felt his arm rise. "Stupefy!" he roared, knocking the man out. He fell right next to Harry, who realized the tiny shard of luck that he'd managed to retain for the evening.

With the last bit of energy that he possessed, he reached out , ducking once more as spells were being cast at him, grabbed both Peter and Cedric and raised his wand once more. "Accio!"

The cup hurtled towards them, and he grabbed it with his wand hand, careful not to break the precious piece of wood. He felt the familiar jerk behind his navel. They were going back.

When they slammed into the ground, Harry didn't move. He didn't want to, he just wanted to smell the grass and be thankful that he was still alive. But, he was in so much pain, and knew that this night was about to get longer. He felt more than heard or saw someone run and fall next to the three of them.

"Harry? Harry what is going on?" Dumbledore asked, and Harry nearly laughed at the idea of the headmaster being ignorant of something.

"Albus? What's happened?" Fudge demanded, running and panting over to them. "Is that Diggory? My God, he's dead!"

Harry kept his eyes screwed shut. He wanted to postpone this for as long as he could. But then he heard a very good question. "Harry, is that Pettigrew?" Albus asked.

The young wizard cracked open his eyes. "Yes, it is. He killed Cedric, and brought Voldemort back from the dead! I saw it, he's back. Cedric asked me to bring his body back." Feeling the emotions burning a hole in his throat, his eyes pleaded for understanding. "I couldn't leave him there! Peter tried to stop me from leaving, so I brought him back, too."

For a moment, there was complete silence, then everyone started talking at once.

"Harry, are you sure what you saw?"

"Albus, there is no way He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back, preposterous!"

"Diggory's dead?"

"Is that Peter Pettigrew?"

"What happened to Cedric?"

"Did he say You – Know – Who?"

Harry stumbled to the edge of the crowd, amazed that no one noticed him getting up and walking away. Well, maybe they noticed, but didn't dare stop him. After the night he'd just had, he was hoping that someone, anyone, would believe him, but it appeared no one did. Oh well. As a person back from the dead, Peter would be questioned, and that meant that nothing could be refuted. And Sirius would be free! His vision blurred, and he staggered slightly.

"Potter?" a gruff voice asked. _Clunk. Clunk._ Mad Eye Moody. The DADA professor hooked an arm around Harry, pulling him along towards the castle.

"Professor?" Harry asked, clutching at the arm that was helping him walk. "I need to talk to Dumbledore."

"Just come this way, Potter. I need to know what happened," Moody said firmly as he continued dragging Harry from the crowd that was gathering.

But Harry was thinking about Sirius, and how happy he would be now that Pettigrew was caught. He needed to find someone and tell them to get a hold of Sirius. "No!" Harry said, resisting even though he was still weak from the Cruciatus. "I need to talk to Dumbledore, right now!" he yelled, which caused a lot of people to turn in their direction.

Hermione saw a Moody pulling a resistant Harry away from everyone towards the castle. She wouldn't have said anything, but he could tell how distressed Harry was, and hurried to where the headmaster was.

"Professor!" she shouted, having a hard time getting through the crowd of people.

Dumbledore turned around as soon as he heard someone shouting. His eyes narrowed in on Hermione, and he walked towards her.

"Ms. Granger?" he asked, hoping that this was important, as there were a lot of things to be done right now.

"I saw Professor Moody pulling Harry towards the castle, but he was trying to get away, saying that he really needs to talk to you!" she panted, having ran over.

Dumbledore thought about the implications. His friend would never have let Harry out of his sights after the events that had just taken place. Was this possible? Right now, though, anything seemed possible. "Thank you, Ms. Granger. Show me where they are now," he commanded, and they walked quickly to the Entrance Hall, where Harry was still struggling to stay upright, but trying to get back to the pitch.

Dumbledore was immediately glad that Granger had gotten him to follow, as he saw his friend pull a wand on the struggling boy.

"Stupefy!" he yelled, drawing his wand and stunning Moody. Without anyone helping hold him up, Harry fell to the ground, still talking to the air.

Albus hurried over, and took the wand from Moody, then knelt down next to the distraught teen. "Harry," he said quietly.

"Professor!" Harry cried, grateful that he was there. "I don't know what was going on, I tried to tell Professor Moody that I needed to talk to you, but he wouldn't let me."

"That is not Alastor Moody. The real Moody would never have taken you from me after the events of the night. Now, Snuffles is at Hagrid's right now. Ms. Granger, would you help Harry get there? Make sure no one follows you, and stay there until I come for you," he commanded, and the two fourth years nodded.

Hermione stooped down, and helped pull Harry to his feet. "Can you make it?" she asked, and Harry just nodded.

In truth, Harry wasn't sure he could, but he would make it as far as he could. He needed to tell Sirius what happened.

Just as they were leaving the Entrance Hall, Snape hurried up to them. "Where is the headmaster?" he demanded, holding his left arm tightly.

"Over here, Severus," Dumbledore said, gesturing to Moody.

"What on earth?" The normally unflappable professor's eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he saw Moody's body begin to morph into another person. Was this possible?

"I need you to get Minerva, please, and quickly. Meet me in my office," was all he would say, and proceeded to levitate the unconscious Moody towards his office.

Harry and Hermione walked slowly towards the hut, Harry leaning on Hermione as his strength was waning. They were almost at the steps when the last of his strength gave out, and he collapsed on the ground.

Sirius had been watching the events unfold from the garden, where he was waiting in his Animagus form. Seeing his godson collapse unmoving on the ground spurred him into action. He quickly looked around, and saw that no one was looking their way. He ran over and transformed.

Hermione was shocked at the sudden appearance, but didn't have a chance to say anything. "Quickly," Sirius snapped. "Let's get him inside."

The two grabbed his arms and threw them over their shoulders, dragging him into the hut, and Hermione quickly started making tea. Sirius laid Harry on the gamekeeper's bed, and saw the still bleeding gash on his arm.

He cursed, and also saw the puncture wound on his leg, which also seemed to be nearly broken. He looked around, but didn't see bandages of any kind, so he ripped off the sleeves of his rather tattered robe, and started binding the wounds, knowing that he would have the medi-witch look at them soon as he could.

Only then did he notice the jerking and shaking. _No,_ Sirius thought, hoping that his godson hadn't been exposed to what he was thinking.

After a few moments, Harry stirred. Looking around wildly, he bolted upright, wondering where he was.

"It's alright, Harry," Sirius soothed, still kneeling by the bed.

"Sirius?" Harry asked. "Where am I? What's going on?"

"You're in Hagrid's hut. As to what is going on, I was hoping you could tell me," he said, trying to hold a smile on his face, and to keep his heart from pounding out of his chest.

"Cedric is dead," Harry whispered, blinking to keep the tears from falling. "Pettigrew killed him."

"You saw it happen?" Sirius asked, studying his godson's face.

Harry just nodded. He couldn't help the feelings of guilt that was welling in him, threatening to choke him.

"What is it, Harry?" Sirius asked. He could tell that there was something there. He remembered it from his own feelings that fateful Halloween night all those years ago.

"We got to the cup at the same time. He told me to take it. I said that we should take it at the same time, since it would have been a Hogwarts victory either way. I told him to take it with me," he said, still whispering. "I killed him." A single tear trailed down his cheek, and his throat burned. He wanted to scream at the world that would let this night happen.

Sirius closed his eyes. Every day for thirteen years he had struggled with guilt, feeling responsible for the deaths of James and Lily. He did not want a fourteen year old to have that, especially not Harry. "You didn't kill him."

"He wouldn't have been in that graveyard if I hadn't insisted he take the cup with me!" Harry tried to shout. But his voice was nearly gone from all the screaming he had done already.

"Harry," Sirius started gently but firmly. "You were being a friend, and a good person by offering to share the victory. If you had any idea of what was going to happen, I have no doubt that you wouldn't have let Cedric anywhere near that cup."

"But he's dead! The last thing he asked was for me to take his body back to his parents." As soon as he said that, he remembered who else he brought back. "I brought him back, but I also brought Peter back."

Sirius thought he may have had a heart attack right then. "What?"

Just as Harry was about to explain, Hermione came back in with three cups of tea. Harry tried to lift his, but he was still shaking and jerking, not able to lift the cup. Sirius put down his own, and helped tip the cup into Harry's mouth.

Harry's face burned in embarrassment. He had never needed someone to help him like this, not even his family had done that for him. It was either feed yourself or go hungry. "Thanks," he whispered, still blushing.

Sirius looked at him strangely, wondering what was causing the embarrassment; but before he could say anything, the door to the hut opened, and filled with people. Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, and Ron all walked into the room.

"Black!" Snape yelled, hand going for his wand.

"Severus!" Dumbledore snapped, and everyone stared, never hearing the headmaster speak in that tone. "He is here at my invitation, as are you. He has my full trust, so no one is to attack him," he said to the room at large. Then he noticed Harry on the bed – Ron was talking with Hermione behind the teachers – and walked over. "How are you feeling, Harry?" he asked quietly.

Harry nearly laughed at the question. However, he didn't want to go into that right now, he needed answers. "Professor, why was Moody wanting to talk to me so badly?" he asked.

The professors' faces darkened. "That was not Alastor Moody. You have never known him. It was Barty Crouch Jr."

"WHAT?" Sirius yelled, standing.

"Sirius, calm yourself. The real Alastor would never have tried to take Harry from the pitch after tonight. I have just questioned him under Veritaserum. His father broke him out of Azkaban years ago and placed him under the Imperious curse. After several years, he was able to break it, and put it on his father instead. He transformed the cup into a portkey to take Harry to the graveyard to help Voldemort return." The last part of this was nearly a question, and every eye in the room turned to Harry.

Harry sat up, still shaking slightly, so Sirius helped by putting pillows behind him. He shot his godfather a grateful look, then turned a grave face to the headmaster. "He was right. Voldemort got his body back tonight. He's returned."

The room was deadly silent, and McGonagall conjured chairs for everyone. "I think we are going to need to hear the story, Mr. Potter," she said as gently as she could.

Sirius was the first to object. "Look at him, he can barely sit up. Let him be healed and take a rest. Then he can answer your questions." In truth, he understood that people needed the information immediately, but all those thoughts left when he saw his godson lying so weakly on the bed.

Dumbledore sighed. He couldn't let Harry sleep just yet, but he knew that Sirius wouldn't let them talk to Harry just yet. "Severus, do you have any potions on you that would help Mr. Potter?" he asked, eyes boring into the younger man, stating that this was not a request.

Snape snarled. There was a lot more going on right now other than the pampered prince in front of him, but he clearly didn't have a choice. He stalked over to the bed. "What do you need, Potter?" he demanded.

"Something for pain?" Harry asked.

"You will have to be more specific," he snapped back, not wanting to waste time playing nurse.

"I think my leg is broken, and there's a puncture wound on it from a giant spider. Wormtail sliced my arm, I think it's still bleeding, and Voldemort used the Cruciatus a few times," Harry said, looking at his hands, not wanting the glances of pity he was sure to get.

Snape started. He had been cursed more than his share of times by the Dark Lord, and wasn't really expecting it to be used on a child. He hurried through the potions he kept on his person, and pulled out the vials he would need. "Blood replenisher, numbing, and a classic pain potion," he said to the questioning look the brat gave him. "There's no potion to counter the Cruciatus, but the numbing and pain potions should help for a while until you can sleep."

Harry just nodded in thanks, and downed the potions quickly. Almost immediately, he felt the pain vanish. Not completely leave, but he certainly felt better. "Poppy is better at healing than me, so I shall leave your leg and arm to her."

"Thank you," Harry said quietly. He took another moment, still feeling the pain from the torture, but he took a deep breath to steady himself, and started talking. He explained about how his way to the cup was almost empty, and then about convincing Cedric to take it with him. He went into detail about the graveyard, and how Voldemort got his body back. Then he said about the Death Eaters returning, how Voldemort punished them, and then he got to their duel. He mentioned the curses, but hurried past them, not wanting to think about it. He tried to explain the connection that occurred between their wands, and how he saw a few strangers, Cedric, and his parents.

After hearing about how his godson saw his parents for the first time in living memory, he gave his hand a squeeze. Harry looked at him gratefully, cleared his throat, and continued.

"They surrounded him so that he couldn't see me, and I ran towards Cedric's body. I was there, and Peter apparated right in front of me. I didn't even think, I just stunned him, grabbed him and Cedric with one hand, and Summoned the cup to me, and landed back here," he said, and blinked back the tears that came back to him after telling the story.

Complete silence once again covered the room, everyone thinking about the implications of the night. "Where is he now, Headmaster?" Harry asked, and there was no need to say who 'he' was.

"He is in Ministry custody. I shall make sure that they interrogate him. We can get Sirius' name cleared at long last," he said with a small smile, but the customary twinkle was gone from his eyes. Then he stood, the teachers standing with him. "I've said it before, Harry. You have shown more bravery than I could expect or hope for. You have faced Voldemort more times than anyone else, and you have lived to tell the tale. If you would like, I'm sure Hagrid would let you stay here for the night, or you could go to the Hospital Wing. I do not want you returning to your dorm room tonight."

Harry looked at his godfather. "Are you sure Hagrid won't mind me staying here? I don't want to see anyone else tonight."

"I will talk to him myself," Dumbledore promised. "I'll send Poppy out here to heal your wounds and give you a dose of Dreamless Sleep. Please come see me tomorrow, Sirius. Harry, I will need to speak with you again in a day or two, as well," he said, then left, McGonagall and Snape leaving with him.

Ron and Hermione came over. "You alright, mate?" Ron asked hesitantly.

Harry chuckled. "I've certainly been better, but I'll live. Look, I want to talk to Sirius about something, and I bet your mom is having a panic attack about now. Why don't you let her know I'm ok? And Bill, too."

Ron nodded, and the two left. Sirius turned to Harry. "You really want to talk to me about something, or was that just a way to get rid of them for a bit?" he asked with a smile.

Harry smiled back at him. "I wanted to talk to you. So, assuming the Ministry isn't as horrible and corrupt as it was thirteen years ago, you should be free in a few days," he started, wondering how to phrase it.

Sirius smiled. "That's right. Not the most important thing, considering everything else that's happened tonight, but certainly big. I can actually buy some new clothes without freaking people out!"

Harry laughed this time. "Well, considering people have grown up hearing horror stories about you, you can probably count on scaring them for a while, yet."

Sirius nodded. It made sense. "But the most important part of me being free is that I can fulfill my job as your godfather."

Harry's heart stopped. It was what he wanted to ask about, but hadn't expected Sirius to be the one to bring it up. "What do you mean?" he asked to give himself some more time.

Sirius looked him in the eyes. "Last year, I offered you a different home, and you said yes. Is that still…"

"You mean it?" Harry asked, hardly daring to believe it. "Your offer is still there?"

Sirius laughed. "Of course. You think I would take that back? It's been the only thing on my mind all year!"

Harry sat back with a smile. He would be able to leave the Dursleys! "I would love to, Sirius."

* * *

The end of the year came slowly. Students alternated between avoiding Harry completely, or mobbing him with attention and pity, which he didn't like.

The day before they were going home, Dumbledore called Harry to his office.

"Harry, thank you for coming. Lemon drop?" he offered.

Harry took the seat offered and shook his head at the tin. "No thank you, professor."

"Well, I'll get right to it, then. I know you have had a trying year. Sirius is at the Ministry right now, they are giving him the trial he should have had years ago. The trial should be completed in a week or so. I'm afraid you are going to have to return to your relatives for a while this summer, and then you can be with your godfather. I have something for the two of you to do together this summer, which he will be able to fill you in on later this summer."

Harry was filled with dread at the idea of spending any time with his relatives, but there was something the headmaster was hiding that made Harry uneasy. "Do you not want me to move in with Sirius?" he guessed.

"Harry, when your mother died for you, it created a blood ward if you can call the place where your mother's blood dwells 'home'. That protects you as well as your relatives. I am loathe to attempt to break that ward, but your godfather is insistent on taking guardianship of you, and the Ministry will back him. After the summer is over, we will have to find a way to protect not only you, but your relatives as well."

Harry had never considered that the Dursleys may be in danger because of their relationship, but it made sense. As much as he didn't care about them, after having experienced the Torture Curse first hand, he didn't want that to happen to them. "Understood, professor. You said that Sirius and I will be doing something over the summer?" he asked.

"Yes, but I will let him give you the details on that when he goes to pick you up."

* * *

**Feel free to skip this A/N, but don't say I never warned!**

**Okay, so this story is obviously VERY AU! There will be parts of OotP that have stayed the same, and I won't copy anything word for word, though I might paraphrase if I don't want any of it to change, or I might alter certain events slightly to better fit the premise of my story, and others will be pulled from the story completely. Some may say that the characters are OOC, which is possible as they are my interpretations.  
**

**Some of the things that this story will NOT have:  
**

**Poor, misunderstood Snape and Slytherins. There will be good Slytherins, but I'm going to try and keep Malfoy and Snape as in character as I can. For those of you who might have a problem with my portrayal of Snape, I will quote the wonderful Rowling herself: "Is he a hero? You see, I don't see him, really, as a hero. He's spiteful, he's a bully. All these things are still true of Snape." She never shied away from the fact that he is a bitter person, and neither will I, though I might make him and possibly Malfoy redemable in the end, though I haven't made up my mind on that yet.  
**

**Immature Sirius. Okay, these always tick me off, and I'll give you my reasons: Sirius Black grew up in an abusive household, went to school during, graduated during, and fought in a war, lost his best friend, was framed for murder, forced to spend 12 years in the worst place on earth, and spent 2 years on the run. If that doesn't make someone grow up fast, then nothing will! My interpretation of his behavior in OotP was that he regressed several years due to his 'imprisonment' in Grimmauld Place, and not that he was an immature person. I absolutely ADORE his character, and he will play a major role, but as a mature, reasonable adult who has managed to put the past behind him.  
**

**Weak Harry: I don't mind reading stories of Harry being a bit weaker than he was canon, but I'm going to write him as I see him, which is a kid who grew up too fast, and faced a lot of challenges, making him mature quicker than others.  
**

**Bashing of Weasleys, Dumbledore, Remus, Hermione, etc: Again, I don't mind bashing, but I'm not going to do it. It might seem like it at some points, but those are going to be genuine concerns from the minds of the characters, and fights that all good friends eventually have. I will not intentionally bash any of the 'good guys'.  
**

**Romantic Relationships: I haven't decided on relationships between main characters yet, and they might not be those in canon, simply because of where the characters are taking me. In regards to slash, I have two words: Hell. No. :-) Sorry guys, but I would feel _far_ too awkward trying to write any kind of slash. Added to this, is that I won't write smut. Again, I would feel too weird writing it.  
**

**Horcruxes: I haven't fully decided where I stand on the issue yet, but as of right now, I doubt I will have them play a role.  
**

**Now, some things this story WILL have:  
**

**Father/Son relationship between Harry and Sirius. I'll admit that my favorite scenes so far in this are those between these two, and Sirius has the immense job of helping Harry understand his role during the war, so we will see quite a bit of him, even during the school year.  
**

**Umbridge and Fudge: Yeah, sorry, couldn't get around throwing them in there. Hey, they at least add some extra conflict for our heroes, right?  
**

**Abusive Durselys: I always saw them as being abusive, and that's how I wrote them. As a crisis advocate who has the DCFS hotline on speed dial, I DO. NOT. advocate violence against any child, regardless of the circumstances. The Dursleys will play very minor roles, and only be mentioned on occasion.  
**

**OCs: Yes, I will be adding a lot of characters, both students, staff, and foreigners. I won't throw too many at you at once, and it will be easy to tell who is new to the story line.  
**

**American idioms: I know the story is British, but I'm American, and I might throw in something that they wouldn't say, but it'll be on accident, promises!  
**

**A few last minute things:**

** There will be violence, as they are at war, hence the rating. If people believe that I need to up the rating to M, I will.  
**

**Right now, I am allowing anonymous reviews, and I'm hoping that no one makes me regret that. I love reviews (who doesn't?) but flames really irk me, especially if I can't PM you about what was said. **

**There are over 600,000 HP stories on this site alone, and while I will never steal someone else's story, I can't guarantee that there won't be similarities, but I will try to have this be as original as possible.  
**

**Whew! Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you all understand why I felt the need to include all of this. Now, I might include a warning at the beginning of a chapter here and there, but there will be nothing of this length again, I hope :-)  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Squee! Was not expecting the amount of interest in this story! Well, as your reward, I give you a very long update! For the future, updates may not come out nearly as fast, but I couldn't help myself :-) (the fact that for the next couple updates, I just have to edit certainly helps in quicker updates) I just don't want to post everything that I have, and then need a long time before the next one. So I'll start spacing them out, this is just a thank you!  
**

**Warnings: child abuse, angry Sirius, possible cliched scenes (both Dursley scene, and diagon alley scene) Oh! and this has my first OFC, but she has a very small role throughout the story.  
**

* * *

Two weeks after returning to Privet Drive, Harry was starting to lose hope that Sirius wanted him. Dumbledore said that the trial would be over in a week, and term had ended two weeks ago. Did Dumbledore convince Sirius to leave on that mission without him? Did he say that Harry was safer with the Muggles?

"BOY!" Vernon yelled through the front door where Harry was weeding the garden. He had finished most of his chores, but there were a lot more weeds than he had expected. "You have half an hour to finish out there, then I want you inside working on dinner!"

"Yes, Uncle Vernon," Harry said, trying to hurry. He was still aching from his uncle's…displeasure a few days ago. He hadn't finished dinner fast enough, and Vernon had knocked him around quite a bit until he'd been too tired to finish. This summer had been worse than previous ones, because Harry had woken them up many nights from his nightmares. The nightmares were always about the graveyard and Voldemort's return. Recently, Sirius appeared in the nightmares, saying that he had changed his mind about wanting Harry.

After twenty minutes, Harry realized that keeping his mind off the yard work made it go by much faster. He was moving around , trying to get at the stubborn weeds that weren't wanting to come up, when he heard a wonderfully familiar voice behind him. "Having fun?"

Harry spun around, standing. He looked at the smiling face of his godfather, which was the best sight he'd probably ever see. Gone was the gaunt figure from the Wanted posters. He had trimmed his hair to where it was just brushing his shoulders, he was wearing the promised new robes, which looked as though they fitted him much better, having gained some of his weight back. An errant thought ran through his mind that Mrs. Weasley must have gotten her hands on him and fed him up as she always threatened to do to himself.

"Sirius?" Harry asked in a whisper, hoping that he wasn't hallucinating.

"What, not happy to see me?" he demanded, but laughed.

Harry didn't bother to grace that with a response, and jumped up to hug his godfather. "Where have you been?" he asked quickly, then his hands flew to his mouth. He really needed to keep his mouth shut once in a while. Vernon would have belted him for acting like that.

But Sirius didn't get upset with him. "I'm sorry, I know I was supposed to be here sooner, but Dumbledore insisted you stay here for an extra week for your protection. He's going to be here in a few days to erect some wards to keep them safe."

Harry was upset at his headmaster's meddling, but he was too happy to see Sirius that he wasn't going to complain. But before he could say anything, Vernon yelled through the door again. "BOY!" he screamed, and Sirius looked at him in concern. "You'd better be finished out there, or I swear to you…" he trailed off as he came outside and saw Sirius. "And who the hell are you?" his uncle demanded. "Distracting the boy from his chores are you? Well, I won't have it. Boy, get in the house and start dinner!" he commanded, grabbing Harry by the nape of his neck, digging his fingers into the soft flesh, and started dragging him to the door.

Sirius was suddenly furious. He grabbed the large man by the wrist that was harming his godson and stopped them. "You will let go of him right now, Dursley," he said. His voice was quiet, but there was no mistaking the venom in his voice.

Vernon could tell that he was outmatched, and let go of his nephew as though he was burned.

Sirius let go of the arm, and looked at Harry in concern. "You okay, pup?" he asked softly.

Harry just rubbed his neck slightly. "I'm fine," he reassured. In truth, he was. Thanks to his uncle, he had a rather high pain tolerance.

Sirius just stared at him though, as if seeing him for the first time. He gave his godson a look that clearly said 'we'll be talking soon', and the two walked into the house right behind Vernon.

"Where are you things?" he asked quietly. He wanted to get the two of them out of the house as quickly as he could.

Harry pointed to the locked cupboard under the stairs. "My trunk is in there, and I have a few things upstairs in my room," he told him.

Sirius walked over to the cupboard. He could see that it was locked, and a simple charm would have worked, but he was still rather upset; he simply kicked it hard, smiling at Harry's quiet chuckle.

"Now see here, you can't just come into my home and start breaking things!" Vernon roared, his eyes going to Harry with a rage that made the young wizard shrink back slightly.

"Sure I can," Sirius said lightly, pulling out the trunk. Then he noticed the pillow and blanket, as well as a few broken toys. "Harry, come here please," he said as lightly as he could.

Harry walked over, wondering if his trunk was a bit heavy. Then he realized what Sirius was seeing, and grew nervous. "Do you want me to get my things from my room?" he asked timidly.

Sirius turned, and realized how nervous he was. "What I would like, is for you to tell me why it looks as though someone lived in this cupboard once."

Harry was saved from answering by Vernon doing it for him. "You think we would have given him a room if we didn't have to? Boy should be grateful we gave him our Dudley's second bedroom so he's no longer in there. But he's just an ungrateful freak, just like his father!"

Sirius's mind was spinning. He clenched his hands, trying to restrain himself from cursing the mound of flesh in front of him. Taking a few deep breaths, he turned to Harry. "Let's get the rest of your things," he said stiffly, and Harry was only too happy to leave the room.

But Sirius's temper came up again when Harry opened a door that had a catflap on it, as well as a round dozen locks and bolts on it. Harry was already kneeling on the floor when he realized what his godfather was looking at.

"Don't worry, they don't lock them much anymore," he said, trying to be reassuring as he pried up the floorboard.

Sirius took that as little comfort. This was not what he'd imagined when Albus had mentioned 'a good and loving home', where Harry had been placed. But he had an ironclad hold on his temper. If they could get out of the house quickly enough, they may avoid the eventual explosion.

Harry hurried to pull out his wand, invisibility cloak, Marauder's Map, and the photo album, placing them in a knapsack he kept in his room. "Alright," he said.

Sirius was looking around the room. There was nothing in here that said 'Harry'. All this time, he'd comforted himself with the idea that his godson was having a good life, even if he and Remus weren't there, and that theory was being shot to hell.

Just then, Harry dropped the Map, which he had been trying to get into the knapsack, and he bent over to retrieve it. His shirt rode up slightly, just enough for Sirius to see the bruises and cuts that were there.

"Harry, take off your shirt," Sirius told him, getting more and more furious by the minute.

Harry stared at him as though he had a second head. "What?" he demanded.

"Take off your shirt and show me your back," Sirius repeated.

Panicking slightly, Harry tried to prevent the eventual discussion a bit longer by walking around his godfather to the door. "We should get out of here before Vernon decides to burn my stuff," he said with false levity.

Sirius was now convinced, having sported the same attitude for years until James cornered him one day after Quidditch practice. He reached over and grabbed Harry's upper arm, and frowned further in concern when Harry winced and pulled away from him. "If that doesn't tell me that something is wrong, then try and convince me otherwise," he told him.

Harry sighed. Four full years of keeping this a secret from the Wizarding world, and he didn't last ten minutes with his godfather. He must be slipping. He dropped the knapsack and slowly closed the door. Looking his godfather in the eyes, he winced slightly as he pulled the oversized T shirt off himself, and slowly turned around.

Sirius sucked in a breath. There was hardly an inch of skin that wasn't bruised, cut, or marred in some way. He forced himself to look at the protruding ribs, evidence that he probably hadn't eaten a decent meal since leaving school. "Anything else?" he gritted out.

Harry hurried to put the shirt back on. "My knee's a little messed up, but nothing I can't handle," he said, not wanting Sirius to think he was a wimp. When Sirius glared at him a while longer, he continued. "My head's been hurting lately, too. I guess I may have another concussion."

Sirius worked on counting to ten in English, French, Spanish, Gobbledygook, and Mermish. When he was sure he could talk without every other word being a curse word, he spoke. "That's all?"

Harry nodded. "That's it. Uncle Vernon just gets upset sometimes, and Aunt Petunia was unhappy with me a few nights ago. Not a big deal."

Sirius continued staring at his godson. How many years did it take for the young man in front of him to accept this as his way of life? There was nothing for it, he would talk more later, as soon as they were far away from this place. He nodded slightly. "I need to talk to your Uncle about Albus' visit later, then we'll be off. I've got a Muggle car outside."

"You can drive?" Harry asked with a grin, glad that the depressing topic was behind them.

"Hey!" Sirius laughed softly. "You've seen my old motorbike, right? James, Remus, and I really enjoyed learning about Muggle transportation. I was the only one who wanted to make it fly, but this car will do just fine."

Harry decided that he would wait until they were in the car before asking about the mission. "How did the trial go?" he asked instead. He really wished that he could have been there, since Sirius had been there when he needed him.

"As well as could be expected. Pettigrew is at Azkaban until the day he dies, and they know about his Animagus form, so he won't be able to escape like I did. Fudge tried to have me sent back for being an illegal Animagus."

Harry gasped. "Are you kidding me? You spent twelve years there for no reason, and he wants to send you back?"

Sirius smiled at the indignation on his behalf. "I know, Madame Bones said the same. Instead, they just fined me, but considering the compensation I got for the undeserved years in Azkaban, I still came away with a tidy sum."

Harry's grin almost split his face. "I'm so happy for you," he said, and he was. Maybe now his godfather could get a house in the country, someplace with a lot of space. He finally had a chance to live his life.

Sirius stopped him just as they were about to reenter the living room. "I wouldn't have anything if it weren't for you, kiddo," he said, eyes serious. "I mean it. You were having the worst possible night imaginable, and you still had the consideration to bring back not only Cedric, but Peter as well. I'm really proud of you."

Harry blinked back tears. No adult had ever said that to him before. He just nodded slightly and led the way to the living room where Dudley was watching the telly and his aunt and uncle were sitting on the couch looking furious.

Sirius just glared at them for a moment before starting. "Well, I don't believe I ever introduced myself. I'm Sirius Black, Harry's godfather."

Petunia's hands flew to her mouth to muffle the scream, and Vernon stood, vein pounding heavily. "Take the boy and go. I've had enough of him to last a lifetime," he bellowed at Sirius before turning to Harry. "And don't expect to come back. When he's done with you, you're on your own! I don't want you burdening us further!"

Harry shrugged. He had figured as much, so hearing it didn't make a difference. He looked up at Sirius, and was surprised at the look of hate on his face.

"A burden?" he asked, still quiet. "All you can say about Harry is that he's a burden on you?"

Aunt Petunia just sniffed disdainfully, and Uncle Vernon turned away unconcernedly.

Sirius now went through the formal greetings in Mermish and Gobbledygook, which took a little while. Once he had another reign on his temper, he spoke. "Well, the headmaster of Harry's school is going to be here in a day or two to help with some protection around the home."

"What?" Petunia said, speaking up for the first time. "Another freak? I won't stand for it, I tell you."

Sirius just sneered at her, and Harry was vaguely reminded of Snape, not that he would ever tell his godfather that. "Well, alright. If you want to be tortured and murdered by the same monster that killed your sister and has attempted on several occasions to kill your nephew, I guess the Headmaster doesn't have to make the time to protect you…"

"I thought he was killed?" Vernon said, with mild curiosity.

Sirius knew that his tenuous hold on his temper was fraying fast. He didn't bother to ask Harry why he hadn't confided in them, it was far too obvious. "He's back, he came back in June. Since you are Harry's only living relatives, he will try to come here and find out where he has disappeared. If you want to try and face one of the most powerful wizards in existence, be my guest!"

Petunia and Vernon looked at each other. Dudley remained entranced by the show that was on, and continued to ignore them all. "Fine, he can come."

Sirius snorted at the idea that they were doing Albus a great favor by allowing him in their home. "Alright. Harry, you ready to go?"

Harry just nodded, and the two grabbed his things and loaded them into the boot of the car that was parked outside. Just then Sirius noticed something. "Hey Harry, where's Hedwig?" he asked.

"She's at Ron's for the summer. Uncle Vernon has this nasty habit of trying to lock her into her cage, and I couldn't put her through that again, so Ron offered to watch her and feed her for the summer," Harry said, climbing into the passenger seat.

Sirius nodded. "That's probably for the best."

Harry looked up. "So, Dumbledore wouldn't tell me much about this mission he's sending us on. Care to fill me in?" he asked lightly.

Sirius laughed. "Sure thing, kiddo. But first, we're going to stop by Diagon Alley."

"What for?" Harry asked.

"A few things. First is some new clothes for you, since apparently those disgraceful excuses for relatives of yours never bought you clothes." Harry looked down sheepishly. "Second, we're stopping by Gringotts. There's a few things we need to get straight there. Flourish and Blotts is also on the list, want to get you some new books since we'll be pretty busy this summer. A healer wouldn't be a bad idea as well, come to think of it."

"A healer?" Harry asked, slightly panicky. "Sirius, I'm fine. I was only there for a few weeks, and nothing major happened."

"And this is how you look after only two weeks. I shudder to think of how you'd look if I didn't stop by until your birthday, which is what Dumbledore had wanted. So a healer is on the list, no arguments."

Harry sighed, but was rather pleased. The Dursleys had never let him see the doctor for his injuries, so it was nice that he had someone who cared enough. Then a thought struck him, and he looked down at his lap.

Sirius noticed the change in demeanor. "What's going on in that head of yours?" he asked.

"Am I going to have to go back there next summer?" he asked. "I mean, I know that I come of age the next summer after that, but I wasn't sure…"

Sirius's hands tightened on the wheel. "You are never going back there. I don't give a rat's ass what Albus thinks or wants. I'm your guardian in the Muggle and Magical worlds, so if he tries to send you back, he'll have me to deal with."

Harry brightened up slightly at that, but was still a little worried. He wasn't going to voice it, but what would happen when Sirius didn't want him to stay with him anymore? He would deal with that bridge when he came to it, he decided. He was good at that.

The rest of the trip to London was mostly in silence. Sirius could tell that there were still some things bothering his godson, but decided to give him some space.

They finally got to The Leaky Cauldron, and he parked the car. "Impressive," Harry complimented when they got out.

Sirius laughed, and Harry enjoyed the sound. He rarely heard his godfather in good spirits. "Thanks. You have your mother to thank, though. When she realized that us crazy guys were going to be spending a lot of time driving, she made us all get licenses."

Harry smiled. He loved hearing stories about his family. The two went through the pub into Diagon Alley, and made their way to the bank.

Sirius went to the main teller, and greeted him formally in Gobbledygook. The teller smiled at him slightly.

"Lord Black, it is good to see you a free man and are able to do business with us once again. Are you wanting to see your personal vault or your family vault?"

"Actually, I am leaving the country for a while, and was in need of a bottomless money bag for my personal vault. Also," he started, waving Harry forward, "we need to go into the Potter family vault for a few things."

The goblin nodded. "I'll have Sharptooth take you down there," he said, and waved the goblin forward.

Harry looked strangely at Sirius. "I have plenty of money on me, am I going to need more?" he asked, his curiosity peaked by the mention of being out of the country.

It was Sirius's turn to look oddly at Harry. "Not your personal vault, Harry. Your family vault." When Harry continued to look at him confused, he sighed. "I take it no one ever mentioned a Potter family vault to you?"

Harry shook his head silently.

Sirius gritted his teeth. He had more than a few things he needed to speak with Albus about, but that would have to wait for a later time. "Your personal vault is one that your parents set up right before they went into hiding. The family vault has been in the family for generations. There are a few things that we should grab before we leave."

Harry just nodded silently again. His mind was spinning, and the day wasn't over yet. The main teller caught up with them long enough to hand Sirius what appeared to be an empty bag, and Sirius thanked him in Gobbledygook.

"Where did you learn that?" Harry asked curiously as they climbed into the cart. "And no one mentioned that you are a Lord, my good sir," he said cheekily.

Sirius laughed again. "Well, Black is an Ancient and Noble House, and I'm the last of the line, so that automatically makes me a Lord now that I'm free. As for the Gobbledygook, I've always enjoyed languages, so that was one of them that I learned."

"How many do you know?"

"Spoken languages? I speak four, unless you count English and Ancient Runes."

"What four?" Harry asked, amazed. He never would have guessed that his Marauder godfather was a closet Hermione.

"Two human, and two non human; French and Spanish, as well as Mermish and Gobbledygook. My Mermish isn't nearly as good as Dumbledore's since I started learning it close to my arrest."

Harry could tell that a slight change in topic was in order, hearing the bitter edge to Sirius's words. "Could you teach me? I've always wanted to learn another language," he said wistfully. "But Runes always looked way too hard."

Sirius shot him a look. "From what Remus told me, you are one of the top students in your class."

Harry laughed. "In Defense, yeah, but I've always had some problems in my other classes. Especially Potions."

"I'm surprised, your mother could have been a Potions teacher easily. She was the top student in our year, even beat out Snape on every exam."

Harry looked up, amazed. "Really?" he asked, eyes bright.

"Really. Your father and I were top in Transfiguration, James and Lily competed for Charms, I was Ancient Runes, Remus was DADA and Arithmancy."

Harry looked down. He wished that he could be better in school, make his parents proud of him.

Sirius noticed the dejected look, and sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You know, it's alright to ask for help once in a while."

Harry looked up at him, shocked. He couldn't think of anything to say to that.

"I mean it," he continued, not understanding the incredulous look. "Your teachers aren't just there to give you a hard time and be horrible. Well, maybe Snape," he said, getting a grin from the boy, who was just imagining what Snape would say if he asked for help. "But we have the rest of the summer to spend together. What would you say to some extra tutoring?" he offered, even though it had already been on his list for the summer.

Harry was thrilled, though his emotions were a little conflicted. Did Sirius think he was stupid for needing help? Would he think he was stupid for how little he knew? But if he could start doing better, it would be worth it. "I'd love that. Thank you so much," he said meaningfully.

Sirius smiled. For a moment, he wasn't sure what he'd say. But he was spared having to say anything else, because the cart slowed, and the goblin told them they were at the Potter vault. They walked up to the handleless vault, and Harry looked at Sirius, who understood the confusion.

"Just put your hand on the door. It only opens for those with Potter blood, so it will recognize you when you touch it," he informed the teen.

Harry nodded, and placed his hand on the door. He felt a slight tingling sensation running through his hand, and then the door clicked open. The three walked in, and Harry paused, amazed.

While there was quite a bit of gold on one side of the room, the other side was filled with various objects. There were bookshelves that were stuffed, trunks, cabinets and more.

"Wow," was all he could say.

Sirius chuckled slightly. That had been his reaction seeing the Black vault for the first time. Although, he'd been a bit more afraid, since the Black vault held a lot of dangerous artifacts. "Follow me," he said, and walked over to one of the trunks first. He smiled when he looked inside. "Bless him," he said fondly, pulling out two mirrors. He handed one to Harry, who looked confused. "It's a two way mirror. James and I made them together in school for when we were in separate detentions and had time to think of our next great prank. But I think they can serve a greater purpose now. We keep these with us at all times just in case we are separated somehow and need to get in touch with each other."

Harry nodded, running his fingers over the mirror. Another piece of his father. He would treasure it, he knew.

Sirius gave him a moment, then handed him a ring. When Harry looked confused again, Sirius nearly growled, vowing to bodily harm Albus the next time they met. "It's the Potter ring. The Potters aren't an Ancient and Noble House like the Blacks, Longbottoms, Greengrass, and a few others, but they are a Noble House, so the heir wears a ring similar to the Lord. Since you aren't of age yet, you can't be the Lord, but you are the heir. However, there is a law that states that if the former Lord is deceased, the Heir can become Lord on his sixteenth birthday, so that's a little over a year from now. I take it, though, that this means you don't know who the regent is?" Harry shook his head."Alright, I'll have to ask Albus about that. We'll spend some time this summer talking about your place as Lord of the Noble House of Potter and what that entails."

Harry just nodded dumbly again. He had learned more in the last hour about his family than he had in four years in the Wizarding World.

Sirius handed him a necklace with a pendant on it. "This is an emergency portkey. We'll program it later with a password and location," he told him, and put his own on, watching as Harry did the same. Seeing something else inside, he hurried to grab it with a grin, but without tipping Harry off. He closed the trunk with a thud, and the two walked over to the shelves. Sirius pulled down the books on portkeys, since he wasn't sure if he remembered everything about programming them, their books on becoming an Animagus, James's old Auror handbook, some of Lily's potions journals, the Marauder's book of pranks, and then paused, looking at the intro books that Lily had gotten. "Hey Harry?" he asked, looking around. He saw Harry looking at the shelves with interest.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning around quickly as though he'd been caught doing something wrong. He filed it away to think about later.

"Don't take this the wrong way, alright?" he asked, and Harry nodded. "Since we're going to be doing a lot of learning this summer, do you still have your intro books?"

Harry looked confused, and took a look at the books his godfather was looking at. "Intro? You mean my first year books?"

"No," Sirius said, frowning yet again. "The books every Muggle born or Muggle raised student gets before they come to school. Introduction to Potions, to Charms, to Wizard Travel…." He trailed off, seeing that he'd lost Harry again. He growled low in his throat. At this rate, he'd lose his voice, but he couldn't believe the negligence of Harry from the Muggle AND Magical world! "You've never heard of these?" he asked wearily, handing the potions one to Harry.

Harry took the book and started flipping through it. His eyes lit up. "This explains so much!" he exclaimed. "I can see where I was messing up on so many of my potions! Is there one on Transfiguration?" he asked excitedly.

Sirius wordlessly handed him the Intro book, and watched in wonder as Harry was acting like a kid in a candy store. No, he was acting like Lily did every time she learned something new. But Harry was oblivious to Sirius's thoughts. "Oh, I wish Hagrid had let me get something like this!" he whispered, still flipping back and forth between the two, which were his two hardest subjects.

"Wait, Hagrid?" Sirius asked, confused.

"Yeah, Hagrid was the one that told me about being a wizard, he brought me my letter, and took me shopping for the first time," Harry said absently, still reading.

Sirius was getting a headache. While he loved the giant, he was hardly qualified to tell someone about the Wizarding world. As far as he knew, in over forty years Hagrid had never been sent to talk to a family, for obvious reasons.

"Alright, let's grab some of these books to take with us, I'm sure your mother would be thrilled at you reading her old texts," he said with a smile, imagining her happiness.

Harry gaped at the older man, then ran a reverent hand over the covers. "My mum's?" he whispered, eyes filling. He had a few things of his fathers, but had never held something that belonged to the wonderful woman who had given birth to him.

Sirius was the one who was confused this time, but it only lasted for a moment, replaced by heartbreak. "You've never had something of Lily's?" he asked, appalled.

Harry shook his head, still stroking the books. "No. I've got the cloak and the Map, which are the only things I have of dad's, but I've never had something of mum's."

"I'll be right back," Sirius said tightly, and Harry nodded, not looking up. Sirius walked to another side of the vault, making sure he was blocked by a few shelves, and started punching one of them. Everything from the past two hours was coming forth, and he had to get it out before he tried talking to Harry again. The obvious neglect and abuse from the Dursleys, Albus keeping his family's history from him, the fact that he clearly didn't expect much from himself with school, and now understanding why he had so many problems in classes; his godson was kept completely in the dark about everything, and Sirius only had two months to teach him as much as possible, and they still had a mission to complete for Albus. But he owed it to Harry, and to James and Lily, to do what he could to help Harry as much as he was able.

Finally calmed down some, he cast a quick healing spell on his knuckles so that there wasn't evidence of his outburst, and walked back to where Harry was pulling the intro books off the shelves.

"You sure she wouldn't have minded?" Harry asked somewhat timidly.

Sirius smiled and shook his head. "She would have been ecstatic about it. You probably would have gotten them when you were eight, you know," he said quietly.

Harry was thrilled. He had another thing of his father's, something from his family, and now a set of his mum's books. There were intro books on History, Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Astronomy, Wizard Travel, and Wizard Culture. Sirius conjured a bag to hold all the books in, and they climbed back into the cart.

Once they left Gringotts, they headed for Madame Malkins Robes, and got Harry fitted for casual robes and formal wear, which was different than his dress robes. Formal wear had the Potter crest on it, and Sirius almost had an aneurysm when he realized Harry had never seen his family's crest before. The big problem came when it was time to pay. Harry had pulled out his money bag, and Sirius stared at him.

"You think you're going to pay for all this?" he asked.

Harry stared at him for the millionth time that day. "What else would I do?" he asked.

"Well, your guardian is standing right here, so I would say that I'm going to pay," Sirius said.

Harry shook his head. "You don't have to pay for all this! I always pay for my stuff," he said, not wanting to be any more indebted than he already was.

Sirius shook his head this time. "I'm your guardian, Harry. Your vault is meant for pocket money, and also to help you after you finish Hogwarts before you find a job," he explained. Seeing that Harry was still resistant, he continued with a smile. "Besides, I have all that dough from the Ministry. Wouldn't it feel good to spend their money for yourself?"

Harry smiled slightly, and let Sirius pay. Their next stop was at Flourish and Blotts. For over an hour, they wandered through the shelves, and Sirius grabbed a few on learning Gobbledygook, and was surprised to find a few on French. He thought they would have to stop by a Muggle bookstore, and was glad that was one side trip off their list. He grabbed several on DADA, figuring they would come in handy, and then saw a few on Occlumency, and hurried to pick those. It was on the list of things for Harry to learn this summer. He knew that Dumbledore wouldn't tell Harry about the prophecy for fear of Voldemort finding out about it. But if Harry mastered Occlumency, he would probably be able to convince the headmaster to tell him. Harry needed to know, of that he was sure.

They continued looking, and something occurred to him. "Hey, Harry. What extra classes are you taking?"

Harry surprised him by blushing. "Divination and Care of Magical Creatures. Divination is completely useless, and CoMC is alright, but I hadn't been sure of what to take, so I signed up for the same things as Ron, figuring I would have help if I needed it."

Sirius nodded at the logic, and wished that Hogwarts had Career Advise in second year so that students had a better idea of what to sign up for. "Would you be interested in learning Ancient Runes and Arithmancy?" he asked "I'm not great at Arithmancy, but I could teach you the basics, and Remus would be only too happy to help later on. You would be amazed at the different magics that you can do when you know both."

For the first time, Harry felt excited about learning. But he hesitated. "You're already going to be teaching me so much this summer, I don't want to be a burden…" he said, and trailed off at the look of fury on Sirius's face. He shrank back slightly.

Sirius tried to school his features, but it was hard. It was only when he saw the flicker of fear on Harry's face that he was able to push down his anger. "Harry," he started tightly. "I want you to listen to me very closely for a moment. You could never burden me. With anything, you never could. You have been treated appallingly by so many people over the years I wouldn't even know where to start if I were to list it all. But please believe me about something. I want to teach you everything that I can. There are a few things that I do have to teach you this summer, but if there is something you want to learn about that I can teach you, I will do it. You deserve that much, at least." He finished his mini speech, and looked at his godson.

Harry was staring at his guardian, gaping. It was hard to believe everything he'd just heard, but there was a conviction in his voice that was hard to ignore. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and nodded, not trusting himself to speak just yet.

Sirius nodded to him and gave him a small smile, then they continued along the shelves. He pulled down the third and fourth year books and workbooks on Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. The last thing he grabbed was a large book on Wizarding culture, since he was going to be teaching Harry about what it meant to be the Lord of a Noble House. They took their large collection up to the counter, and Sirius had to convince Harry to let him pay again.

Once they left the bookstore, Sirius realized it was getting late. They still needed to see a healer, but first was dinner. They went to the Leaky Cauldron and ordered a large dinner, and Harry inhaled his. Sirius was glad to see that the teen would start to gain some weight now that he would be getting full meals again.

As soon as they were finished with dinner, they hurried over to Pomfrey's Potions and Cures. Harry was surprised to learn that the healer was the older sister of his school nurse Madame Pomfrey.

As soon as they walked in, Rose Pomfrey waved them forward with a smile. "Good evening. How can I help you gentleman?"

"Full checkup and the works for my godson," Sirius said, then continued, "and a calming potion for me." He remembered Rose from school, though she had been several years ahead of him, and he didn't want to blow up if he could help it.

Rose looked at him strangely, but nodded, handing him one from her apron. "Alright, would you like your godfather in the room, sir?"

Harry was startled to be referred to as 'sir'. "Just Harry, is fine, and yeah, he can come in."

"Alright, Just Harry, and godfather, come on in," she said with a laugh, and they followed her into a room. She immediately had Sirius seated in a chair by the door where he hurried to swallow the potion, knowing that he would need it for this part.

"Jump up here, Harry," she said, pointing to the bed. "Right, now take off your shirt so I can listen to your heart," she said, holding up her stethoscope. She did like using magic, but she refused to use it for everything, especially slightly nervous patients.

Harry hesitated, looking pleadingly at Sirius, who shrugged. "Harry, she needs to see if she's going to help us, okay?"

Harry nodded sadly, and pulled off his shirt with a wince.

Rose saw the emaciated look, being able to count Harry's ribs, and saw a few bruises along the ribcage and stomach. Then he turned, and she gasped. "Dear sweet Merlin," she whispered. The she got to business, grateful for the training that the emergency section at St. Mungo's had given her. "What else?"

Harry didn't say anything, his face was scarlet with humiliation. He rolled up his pant leg to show the swelling around his knee. Then he cleared his throat. "I also think I have a concussion," he whispered.

Rose bit her lip, wondering where to start. She gently tapped along his head with her wand for the concussion, and quickly healed it. The she went to his knee, and examined it for a few minutes. "This is a pretty bad contusion," she told him. "You must have an impressive pain tolerance to walk on this for so long!" she exclaimed. She set to work with healing it, then grabbed some potions and salves. "Drink these," she ordered, handing him a few.

"What are they?" he asked, quickly downing them.

"Concussion, pain, and nutrition," she said as she started rubbing the magical salve on his back, torso, and arms. "I'll be giving you two weeks' worth of nutrition potions. One a day," she ordered firmly.

Harry nodded, having recognized the tastes of the first two, and agreed to her terms on the nutrition potion.

Rose finished up and washed her hands. Then she turned to glare at Sirius. "I want to know who did this, and I want to know now," she seethed, now that her job healing the boy was done.

Sirius stood. "I do not know how he got them, but I know he was injured by his Muggle aunt and uncle, whom he had been living with until today," he told her.

"I'm going to need their names and addresses. I cannot let them get away with this," she told him in a whisper, knowing that Harry wouldn't agree to it.

Sirius had already foreseen this, and had the information written down, and slipped it to her. "Thank you," he said, and his hand went for his money bag.

She waved him away. "No payment, not for this. I was undoing a dreadful wrong, and I won't accept your money."

Sirius smiled at her and thanked her for the extra potions, and the two wizards left the shop.

"Thank you, Sirius," Harry said, looking down.

"Harry, this is what a guardian does. I understand that you might be confused, never having a halfway decent guardian, but that is changing, I promise you."

Harry nodded at him, and the two made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron. Sirius checked his watch, and realized how late it had gotten. "Listen, how about we stay here tonight, since we do have a lot to talk about, and we set out tomorrow?"

Harry nodded. He wasn't happy about the talk, but he did have a lot of questions about the mission. All he knew so far was that it was out of the country.

The two checked into a room, and they brought up their trunks and all their purchases. For the first hour, they organized Harry's trunk, making room for his new robes and books. Sirius told him to keep certain ones out, that they would be the first ones they'd go through the next day.

Finally that was finished, and Harry looked his godfather in the eyes. "So, what is this mission?" he asked seriously.

Sirius sat on the bed opposite him. "First, you have to understand what is going on in the Ministry, since I'm guessing you couldn't get the Daily Prophet at your uncle's?"

Harry shook his head. "Vernon threatened to shoot the next owl that came to the house."

Sirius clenched his hands in anger again, then continued. "Well, firstly, Fudge was ready to deny that Voldemort had returned."

"WHAT?" Harry exploded.

"I know. He didn't think you word was enough. But after they questioned Peter under Veritaserum, they had to admit the truth. But now, they are nearly as bad. Since there haven't been any attacks or disappearances, Fudge is saying that Voldemort is still very weakened, and that the Ministry has everything under control."

Harry was fuming. "Weak? How can Voldemort be weak? How can Fudge be so stupid?"

"All very good questions. So, the next thing you need to know is that Dumbledore during the last war, had a group called the Order of the Phoenix. This group was dedicated to fighting Voldemort no matter what. Your parents, Remus, Peter, and I were all part of it. Now, Dumbledore has resurrected it and started recruiting. What is needed more than ever is allies. Remus is trying to convince the werewolves to join, and Hagrid the giants."

"So what are we doing?"

"We are headed to Beauxbatons to speak with the Assistant headmistress. Madame Maxime is with Hagrid right now, and the Assistant Headmistress has been in charge for the last year, because of the Tri Wizard Tournament. If we can ally with another powerful school, it would be a great asset, especially if they listen to us and not the Ministry about the danger posed. If there is time, we'll be going to another school in Spain as well, but I'm not sure if we'll have the time before you go back to school. Also, we have to go by the Muggle way, since all international magical travel is being carefully watched right now, and we don't want anyone to know that you've left the country. The Order is making it appear that you are still in England right now."

"Why are they doing that?" Harry asked, confused.

Sirius pulled out a battered copy of a book and handed it to him. Harry looked at the cover. _**The Art of War by Sun Tzu**_ he read. "That is a very old Muggle book on war. It is one of the most influential books written on the subject, despite the fact that it's short. There are a lot of tactics and strategies that have survived through the ages, and one of them is what we are employing to protect you: that when you are far, appear near; and when you are near, appear far. Basically, it's confusing the enemy, make sure they don't know what's going on. This way, if the Death Eaters are looking for you, they are going to be concentrating on England, while we are safe in France."

"Brilliant," Harry said, gently looking through the book.

"Yep. That's going to be one of the books I want you to read, as it'll give you a fresh perspective on war, since you've never lived through one, thank Merlin."

"What else am I going to be learning?" Harry asked, putting the book down for now.

"A lot. Let me tell you that you are going to be put through your paces on everything. Every night, I'm going to be teaching you Occlumency." Seeing that he was confused, Sirius continued. "Occlumency is the art of shielding your mind from what the Muggles call 'mind reading'. I am not the most accomplished on Occlumency, or Legilimency which is the art of reading the mind. But I can teach you everything that I know on the subject, and I bought a few books to help. You'll be learning this for a few reasons. The most important is the connection that Dumbledore believes you share with Voldemort."

Harry looked up, frightened. "There's a connection? You mean he could read my mind?"

Sirius nodded. "There is a strong possibility. Which is why this is so important. From what we know so far, it is just a theory, and not even Voldemort is aware of it yet. But there are some things that we can't risk telling you. This isn't because we don't want to, but because it's a risk that we can't take just yet. But if you can become a proficient Occlumens, I may be able to convince Albus to start telling you things."

Harry nodded, as it all made sense. He felt slightly dirty, though, that he had a possible connection with the darkest wizard ever. He vowed to work hard at this. "You said that was the main reason. What else?"

"Learning this also helps with controlling your emotions, and organizing your mind. You can learn a lot more because your mind is a lot more organized."

Harry nodded again. He was looking forward to being able to learn more, as well as controlling himself. "Alright, Occlumency every night. What else?"

Sirius chuckled at the 'go for it' attitude that Harry was showing. "Portkey creation. Now, portkeys are regulated by the Ministry, but unless they know about them in advance, they cannot detect their usage. Since you can't Apparate yet, portkeys are the next best thing. Later on in the summer, I'll start you on Animagus training."

Harry's eyebrows shut up. "Really? Like you and my dad? You'd really teach me about that?" he asked excitedly.

Sirius smiled. "Of course. While I do think that it will be a nice way of learning to defend yourself, depending on your form of course, it'll be a nice break. And since we are going to France, I'll be teaching you French."

Harry's eyes were shining slightly at every word his godfather was saying. No one had wanted to do this much for him before in his life.

Sirius noted the slightly wet eyes staring at him, but chose not to comment on it just yet. "Once we are in France, things will get easier, since they have much more lenient underage magic laws. There, you only have to be thirteen to do magic during the summer. So once we are in France, we'll be working on catching you up on the magic centric classes like Charms, Transfiguration, and DADA. Until we get there, you are going to have your nose in the books, learning as much as you can."

Harry nodded vigorously. If this had been earlier in the year, he would have moaned at the idea of so much work, but now that he had such a good tutor, he couldn't wait to get started.

"Now, I know this all seems like a lot of work, and it is. Which is why we're going to be setting aside a lot of time for me to regale you with the stories of the Marauders, and the early romance of James and Lily." His eyes softened. "It's clear that you know very little about your family, and I'm going to change that. I have so many memories about this family that it would be remarkably selfish of me not to tell you any of it."

Harry was smiling so widely that he thought his face would crack. This was a dream come true, every word that Sirius was saying. "And what do you want from me?" he asked, coming back down to earth. After the years of 'nothing is free', he was a little wary of accepting so much without there being strings attached.

Sirius looked at him. Part of him was surprised by this question, and part of him had expected it. After all, the teen didn't understand being bought something for no other reason than Sirius wanted to. He sat forward slightly, knowing that this was going to be one of the most important discussions the two would have.

"Harry, all you have to do is work hard this summer. The list I've given you is only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, and I'll be teaching you anything and everything I can think of. What I'm expecting out of you is not for you to cook for me or clean for me, or anything those horrific relatives of yours insisted on. Your job is very simple. Learn all you can, pay attention to everything around you, and above all else, _keep yourself alive_," he emphasized the last three words. "I don't know much about your years at Hogwarts, but from what little I was able to glean from various people, you've had far too many near death experiences. Your job is to get through this war alive. If you can do that, I will be the happiest I've been since you were born. I love you so much, kid, and all I want is to see you happy without this war hanging over your head."

Harry was sitting in near shock. This was too much, on top of everything he'd heard and done that day. Then he realized that he was crying, and stood up quickly, going to the window. As soon as his back was to his godfather, he swiped his cheeks. "No one's ever told me that before," he whispered, but Sirius heard him.

"No one?" Sirius asked, staying where he was. He could tell that Harry needed a few moments.

Harry shook his head. "No one. I remember at the end of second year, Hermione asked if my relatives would be proud of everything I did that year, and I just laughed and told her they would be furious that I hadn't been killed yet."

Sirius realized how hardened Harry's heart had become over the years, at least in regards to himself, since the boy was so caring about everyone else. "Well, let me tell you something kiddo, I'll be telling you that every day for the rest of your life, so you'd better get used to it."

Harry laughed, and turned around, finally getting himself under control. "So, I take it one of the things that I could do is to tell you about all the adventures we've gotten into at school?"

Sirius smiled. "That sounds like a good idea."

* * *

**Another chapter down. Oh, and I don't own The Art of War! I hope this chapter wasn't as cliched as I was worried it would be, but I think I managed to make it original enough.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yeah, I know I said I was going to space these out a bit more, but I just love you guys too much :-)**

**Warning: Descriptions of child abuse, and lots of emotions (for those allergic to them :-) )  
**

* * *

The two had gone to bed not long later, and Sirius woke the next morning to find a plateful of food waiting for him on the table. He sat up and looked around. Then he saw Harry sitting at the desk, finishing off his breakfast while reading the intro Transfiguration book. Grinning, he picked up his plate and walked over. "Getting a head start on the reading?" he asked, sitting next to him.

Harry looked up. "Yep. I never realized how much information there is here. I can't believe that I was even able to Transfigure anything the last four years, without knowing any of this."

Sirius nodded. "That's why they give these books to everyone who didn't grow up around magic. I'll be talking with Albus about why you didn't get a copy, but I'm grateful that your mum kept hers."

Harry nodded. "I was going to start on the French books, but I wasn't really sure where to start, so I figured I'd get a head start on the intro books."

"Smart. We've got a bit of a drive ahead of us, so there's plenty of time to start on the language lesson. Do you get carsick if you read?" he asked, realizing a sudden hitch in the plan.

Harry shrugged. "To be honest, I have no idea. I was never allowed to read much unless it was during school hours until I went to Hogwarts. Certainly never in the car."

Sirius stared at him, then wondered why he was surprised at anything anymore. "What about your homework for you Muggle schools?" he asked.

Harry shrugged again, and set his book down. "I was never allowed to do it. Sometimes I'd sneak it late at night. But they didn't want me doing better than Dudley at school, and you can bet that he never did his work. So they kept me busy with chores and cooking, so that by the time I went to bed, I was too tired to study or do homework. And that's when I could go to school."

Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose, wishing that he had cursed the Dursleys when he had the chance to. "What do you mean?"

"Sometimes Uncle Vernon would slip up and hit me in the face, or I'd burn my hands cooking dinner, or Aunt Petunia would smack my head with a pan or something, and they wouldn't let me go to school until I was healed, since they didn't want anyone to know," Harry said simply.

"And the school said nothing?" Sirius demanded.

"Nope. My relatives told the school that I was a very sickly child. And since I was always so small and pale, they didn't give it another thought." Harry considered for a moment. "That could be why I have so many problems at Hogwarts. I never really got to learn study habits, and after a while, I just stopped trying, which stayed that way at school."

Sirius sighed. "Your relatives are an appalling pile of dung. Alright, I know you aren't going to like this, but I'm going to assign you a few essays over the summer, and maybe a few quizzes and the like to help with that."

"That would be great!" Harry exclaimed, surprising himself and Sirius. "I mean, I know it's more work, but this is OWL year, and if I could start learning more now, that'll make this year that much easier."

Sirius started. With everything else going on, he had completely forgotten that it was going to be Harry's OWL year. "That's a really good point. Alright, let's get packed up, we'll drive until lunch, then find someplace to stop."

While they were packing their things and changing into casual robes (Harry threw away his hand me downs), Sirius started him on the very beginnings of French. "The first verb you learn is être, which means 'to be'…." he started.

They went through quite a bit on the drive and by the time they stopped, Harry needed a break. Since it had been a while since Sirius drove so much, they decided to break for a few hours. "Since we've got so much time, want to tell me a few tales of your adventures?" Sirius asked.

Harry laughed. "Alright. Well, you may be surprised to know that Ron and I got on the first time we met on the train, but we really didn't like Hermione."

"What?" Sirius asked. He had seen the three together; they were practically connected at the hip.

"Well, she was kind of bossy and a know it all, and that annoyed us. But then it was Halloween, and Ron insulted her after a Charms lesson, and she went to the bathroom to cry about it. I felt really bad for not saying anything, but then we got to the feast."

Sirius laughed a bit. "Say no more. Boys and food is a connection that is lost on everyone else."

"Exactly," Harry chuckled. "Well, our DADA teacher that year was a stuttering idiot, actually, he was ten times worse than that," he said with a darkened expression that shocked Sirius. "He came running in during the feast saying that there was a troll in the dungeons.

"A troll?" Sirius demanded. "How on earth did a troll get into the castle?"

"That's what everyone was asking. Well, the teachers all went to the dungeons and the prefects lead people to their common rooms, but I realized that Hermione wasn't at the feast and didn't know about the troll."

Sirius paled slightly. "You went to tell her," he stated.

"Of course. Well, when we got there, the troll was in the bathroom with her," he said grimly.

"Wait, I thought it was in the dungeons?"

"That's what Quirrel said, but he was wrong. So Ron and I fought the troll and knocked it out."

Sirius stared. "Two eleven year olds who had been practicing magic for a couple months beat a troll?" he asked faintly.

Harry smiled. "Yep. And from then on, we were inseparable."

"Have you ever thought of making friends the normal way?" Sirius asked.

Harry laughed. "That's not as much fun though," he teased.

"Right," Sirius said, still amazed. "Well, let's try something a bit happier. What about your first Quidditch match? I did hear that you got on the team your first year, and I can't tell you how proud I was when I heard that."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Well, the first match was, uh, memorable."

"I know that tone, Harry James. That's the tone that says there was something dangerous involved," Sirius said, wondering if he needed to stock up on calming potions.

"It wasn't my fault!" Harry exclaimed. "I was just looking for the Snitch, happy as you please, when someone started cursing my broom."

"Cursed. Your. Broom?" Sirius demanded.

"Yeah. We thought it was Snape, but it turns out he was trying the counter-curse to save me."

"Snape tried to save you?" Sirius asked incredulously. "Then who was trying to curse you?"

"Well, that's kind of a long story," Harry said sheepishly.

Sirius sighed. This was just year 1? "I've got time," he said resignedly.

"Well, Dumbledore was hiding the Sorcerer's Stone in the school all year, and the three of us found out about through a combination of sleuthing and dumb luck. We were convinced Snape was after it, since he was such a bastard to all of us. So at the end of the year, McGonagall didn't believe us that the Stone was in danger, and Dumbledore wasn't at the school."

Sirius added a few more people to his 'must curse' list. "Please tell me that you didn't go after it?"

"Of course we did. It was under a trapped door on the third floor. There was a series of enchantments from each main teacher to guard the stone. The first was a three headed dog named Fluffy, it was Hagrid's. Then was Sprout's Devil's Snare, and Hermione got us out of that one. The next was getting through a door, but there were hundreds of keys flying around, it was Flitwick's challenge. But there were brooms, so we grabbed those and I caught the key. The next was McGonagall's, it was a giant chess set. Well, Ron is the best chess player in the school, so we won, but he was knocked out in the process. Then the next was Snape's, and it was a logic puzzle with a lot of potions. One let you move forward, the other let you go back, there were some with just wine, and some poisons. Hermione figured it out in about a minute, so she went back to take Ron to the Hospital Wing, and I went forward to the Stone."

Sirius was thinking he was about to have heart palpitations. "Then?" he demanded.

"It turned out to be Quirrel, the stuttering fool. He was talking to himself, well, that's what I thought. And he was standing in front of the Mirror of Erised."

"The Mirror of what?" Sirius asked.

"Erised. It spells Desire backwards. It shows your heart's desire. Well, he had me look in it, and I really wanted to find the Stone and protect it, and it ended up in my pocket. I was about to make a break for it, but then Quirrel took off his turban that he always wore, and it turned out that he had Voldemort on the back of his head."

"WHAT?" Sirius screamed, standing up. "Voldemort was in the school with you all year long?" he demanded.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. He tried to kill me, but because my mum died for me, he couldn't touch me without hurting himself. Which is why he took my blood a few weeks ago, so that I no longer have that protection."

Sirius collapsed back into his chair. "What happened then?" he asked faintly.

"Dumbledore made it down to that chamber just as I lost consciousness. Turns out I was in a coma for a few days afterwards since I had to use so much magic to fight of Voldemort."

Sirius clutched his chest. He couldn't imagine an eleven year old facing Voldemort and living to tell the tale. And something about the challenges was bothering him. Why was it that each one seemed to be designed with the trio in mind? He would definitely be having a word with Dumbledore about this.

"Well, I think that's about all my poor heart can take for today. Why don't I take over and talk about the time the Marauders pranked McGonagall?" he offered, and Harry perked up.

Twenty minutes later, Harry was howling with laughter, imagining his stern Transfiguration teacher quacking like a duck for an entire day.

"Oh, I'd love to do that again just so I could witness it first hand, but she would know it was me!" Harry lamented, light headed from laughter.

Sirius was clutching his side, still chuckling. "It was a thing to behold, I swear it, and completely worth the detentions. Wait till you hear this one. Now, it may surprise you that Remus wasn't some goody goody, he was the mastermind behind a lot of our pranks. Well, a certain greasy haired Slytherin, who shall remain nameless…"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Snape, continue."

Sirius laughed. "Yes, him. He was giving Remus a hard time for beating him on the Charms test that day. He wouldn't shut up, no matter how many warnings we gave him. The next day, the entire Slytherin house came down with a strange case of red and gold spots," Sirius said, fighting to keep talking, remembering the wonderful sight.

Harry stared, jaw open in admiration. "Oh, you have to tell me how you did that!" he insisted, imagining Malfoy in red and gold.

"Don't tell me you want to become a Marauder in training," Sirius teased.

"Unless I have my fifth annual near death experience, I need to find another hobby," Harry said casually.

Sirius tensed at that. "Fifth annual?" he gritted out.

Harry was oblivious to his godfather's tension. "Well, I guess not really, since the dementors would have just taken my soul, not killed me," he said, trying to sound offhanded.

Sirius sighed. He seemed to be doing a lot of that today. "Alright, we'll continue with that train of thought later. But you never finished telling me about your first match. I believe you stopped when your broom was being cursed."

Harry smiled, trying to hold in laughter at the next part. "Well, I wasn't there for this, but Ron and Hermione were convinced that Snape was the one cursing the broom, since he was muttering a lot and wouldn't take his eyes off of me. So Hermione went and set him on fire."

Sirius gaped at him for a moment, before his face split into a wide grin. "Tell me you aren't joking. Teacher's Pet Hermione set Snape on fire?"

Harry laughed out loud. "Yep. Turns out it was Quirrel who was trying to curse me, but she accidentally knocked him over in her haste to get to Snape."

"So? Who won the game?" Sirius demanded.

"We did!" Harry laughed. "I was speeding along, and suddenly, I was on the ground, and felt like I was about to throw up. Next thing I know, I spit out the Snitch."

Sirius roared with laughter at that. A few minutes later, he wiped his eyes. "Oh, James would have been so proud of you!" he said.

Harry smiled at him, glad to see him in such high spirits. "So tell me, what was your worst detention?" he asked, wanting to keep that smile on his face. "And what was it for?"

Sirius thought. "Wow, that is pretty hard to decide. You have to realize that I have had so many detentions, it's hard to think of the worst one." He thought hard for a few minutes. "James and I went to duel with Snape and Regulus one night, and we knocked down several dozen suits of armor in the process. When McGonagall finished chewing us out for that, we had to work with each other to clean and reassemble the armor without magic. It took weeks!" he exclaimed. "What about you? Worst detention, and what was it for?"

Harry thought for a moment. "Well, I guess it depends on your definition of 'worst'. There was the most dangerous one, and the one where I thought I was going crazy because I was hearing a disembodied voice while dealing with a prat."

Sirius stared at him. "Let's go with dangerous. Why did you get the detention?"

"Well, it was our first year, and Hagrid had hatched a dragon in his hut…"

"A DRAGON?" Sirius roared. "How did he get a dragon egg?"

"Voldemort in disguise, pretended to give it to him as winnings for playing cards after getting some information from him. Anyway, we were worried about the dragon hurting someone, so we owled Charlie, Ron's brother, to see if he would take the dragon, and he said sure, just meet him at the top of the Astronomy tower at midnight. Ron couldn't go, because he'd been bitten, so he was in the hospital wing. Hermione and I went, but we got caught coming back down. McGonagall caught Malfoy who was trying to get us in trouble, and Neville, who was trying to warn us about Malfoy. She took 20 points from Slytherin and 150 points from Gryffindor, plus gave the four of us detention."

Sirius growled, but waved to Harry to continue. An insanely unfair point deduction wasn't dangerous.

"Well, turns out we had the detention in the middle of the night in the Forbidden Forest."

"Let me get this straight," Sirius said, seemingly strangely calm. "For being out of bounds at night, she sends you out of bounds at night?"

"Guess she thought it was poetic justice or something. Anyway, we were trying to find a unicorn that had been injured. We split up, and in the end, I had to be alone with Malfoy and Fang, while Neville and Hermione were with Hagrid. We found the unicorn, but we saw Quirrel and Voldemort drinking its blood. Malfoy took off, but my scar started burning, and I was stuck, so a centaur saved me and took me back to Hagrid."

Sirius was definitely going to have a few words with his former head of house. In the meanwhile, he put a hand to his chest to slow his heartrate. "Merlin, kid, do you do anything by half?" he demanded.

Harry shrugged. "Not really. One of the joys of being Harry Potter, I guess."

"And the one with the disembodied voice?" Sirius asked, not sure if he really wanted an answer.

Harry hesitated. "Well, that one was in second year, and I haven't really gotten around to telling you about that just yet."

"Say no more," Sirius hurried to say. "We'll tackle that one another day. Well, we've been here a while. How about we keep driving a bit further before we stop for the night?"

"Sure, sounds like a plan. We going to keep going with the French?" Harry asked, standing up.

Sirius thought for a moment as they made their way to the car. "We'll just review what I've taught you so far, nothing new. When we finish with the review… wait. How much left of the intro Transfiguration book do you have left?" he asked.

Harry considered, then pulled it out, looking at it. "Well, we don't know yet if I get carsick from reading, but I doubt it, since I'm used to looking at things while moving. I probably have another half hour, maybe forty five minutes to finish it."

"Alright. Never mind about that one then. We'll review the French, then I want you to start reading one of the Occlumency books. Tonight is going to be your first lesson, remember."

Harry did remember, and he nodded. He pulled out his knapsack where he was keeping a few books and things he wanted on him at all times. He pulled out _Occlumency: An Introduction to Protecting Your Mind_.

The two worked hard reviewing, and by the time they stopped for dinner, Harry was grinning. He had always wanted to learn another language, and the way Sirius taught was so natural. Right now they had just been working on speaking and hearing the language, but Sirius had said they would get into reading and writing in it later.

They didn't take a break for dinner, just picked up some fast food. The bottomless money bag that Sirius had gotten was very handy, because it didn't just give Wizarding money, but any Muggle currency, and took it out of his vault. After eating, Sirius said they'd had enough French for the day, and asked Harry to start reading his Occlumency book. Unsurprisingly, Harry didn't get carsick while reading, and he made it through the first few chapters before they stopped at an inn for the night. Sirius paid for the room, and the two hurried upstairs.

"Okay, so the first thing you need to do is close your eyes. Now, rid yourself of all emotion, try to clear your mind. Try not to think of anything, just let it all go," Sirius whispered, looking at Harry, who was standing across from him. After a few moments, Sirius raised his wand and whispered, "_Legilimens._"

At once, a flood of memories overcame the both of them: a young Harry being thrown into his cupboard with a burn on his arm, Ripper chasing him up a tree, the dementors closing in on them by the lake, a 12 year old Harry stabbing a basilisk with a sword.

Harry was fighting to rid the presence in his mind. These weren't memories he wanted his godfather to see. Finally, when the memory of the chamber came into his mind, he shoved Sirius out with all the strength he had, not wanting to go into his second year just yet, much less the Dursleys.

A sharp pain on his knees brought him back, and he found himself kneeling in the hotel room. He looked over to his godfather to find him rubbing his wrist.

"Are you okay?" Harry demanded, hurrying over.

"I'm fine, pup. Did you mean to produce a stinging hex?" he asked curiously, still thinking about the memories.

Harry shook his head, looking down. "No, I was just trying to keep you from seeing the memories." He sighed, feeling horrible. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Sirius waved his wand over the sting. "Hey, no harm done. That's what we're doing, trying to have you repel any presence in your mind. Ready to have a second go?"

Harry nodded and walked back over to where he'd been before. He went through the exercises the book had mentioned, and a moment later, more memories poured in for the two wizards: there were a few of Snape yelling and belittling him, dancing at the Yule ball, Cedric's unseeing eyes…

"NO!" Harry yelled, shoving his godfather out of his head. He was back on his knees, breathing hard. He closed his eyes, trying to get the images out of there.

Sirius hesitated for a moment, then knelt next to him. "Harry?"

The teen worked on slowing his breathing before looking up. "Sorry about that," he said, standing up.

Sirius stood as well. "There's nothing to apologize for. You are actually doing rather well for your first two attempts. Take a few minutes to relax. We'll do one more try for tonight; I don't want to wear you out too fast on this. We have all summer to work on it."

Harry just nodded mutely at him, and closed his eyes. He evened out his breathing and tried to clear his mind, emptying out the frustration he'd been feeling. He worked for a moment on shoving some memories to the farthest reaches of his mind, then relaxing again. He did this a few times to get a sense of his own mind, then took a few breaths. "Ready," he said quietly.

The images were coming much slower this time: watching Ron crash to the floor after being struck by a chess piece, Hermione's face covered with cat hair. Then some more unwanted images came forward: Dudley shoving him into the stove, and Uncle Vernon striking him with a belt a few days before Sirius came to get him.

Harry was watching the memories, working to pull them towards himself and push out Sirius. It was only when he saw his Uncle, and he REALLY didn't want Sirius to see this, did he wrench his mind away. He sent a pulse of magic at the older wizard, breaking his concentration. As soon as he felt the presence leave him, he turned away, fury rising in him. He had avoided anything to do with his relatives since Sirius had picked him up. He never gave any information about his treatment there to a single person in years.

Sirius was stricken, and extremely impressed. For one, Harry hadn't cast a spell, but simply sent raw magic out to stop him, which was unheard of for a fifteen year old; it was difficult for any wizard to do. Not to mention, this was only Harry's third attempt at this. But, what he was most impressed with wasn't the magic, but with Harry himself. So many horrific memories, and the teen was still so upbeat and kind hearted. Looking over, though, he realized Harry was silently freaking out. He was stricken because he had no idea of how bad things had been in that house, and cursed himself yet again for leaving Harry with those monsters.

He hurried over and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. When that didn't get a response, he pulled the younger man over and got him to sit on the bed. "Harry, can you look at me?" he asked softly.

Harry was terrified. Sirius had done so much for him in the last two days alone, and now he was going to see what a weakling he had for a godson. Would he ship Harry back off to the Dursleys that night, or at least let him stay the summer? He vaguely heard Sirius ask him to look at him, and forced his neck muscles to turn his head.

When Sirius saw the fear in his eyes, he through caution to the wind, and pulled Harry into a hug. Placing one hand on the messy hair, he whispered, "If you want to talk about it, I'm right here. I know you like to keep everything bottled up, and I'll want to talk to you about it eventually, but it doesn't have to be tonight if you aren't ready."

Harry pulled back slightly, incredulous. "You still want me?" he demanded in a whisper.

Sirius stared at him. "Harry James, if you are thinking for even a moment that I don't want you, you need to wipe that ridiculous notion from your mind. Why on earth would you think that?"

Harry swiped at the annoying wetness on his cheeks. "I'm the Boy Who Lived, I should be able to stand up to a simple Muggle, right?" he demanded harshly. "I should be able to get this! I was able to throw off Voldemort's Imperious curse, but I can't get this?" His voice was getting more hysterical with every word.

Sirius placed both of his hands on either side of Harry's face, forcing him to look into his eyes. "Harry, this is a very advanced branch of magic. Very few wizards are capable of doing what you are doing tonight. I can tell you that I am very impressed with you right now. Occlumency is similar to the Imperious in a lot of ways in that it takes a very strong person to resist, but Occlumency takes a lot more than that." He paused for a few moments to let that sink in, and then he continued. "As for your relatives; I know what it's like to hide that." He saw Harry's eyes widen, and nodded. "I was a major disappointment to my family, and they didn't hesitate for one second to remind me of that every day I was with them. Physical and emotional abuse is something that no kid should have to endure, and I hate that you had to do so. But if you believe nothing else that I tell you, I need you to understand that what they did is _not your fault_. That was how you grew up, and your uncle and cousin have about two hundred pounds on you."

Harry closed his eyes and bowed his head. This was so much more than he deserved, he knew. But a part of him craved every second of understanding that he was getting. He realized that Sirius had given him a piece of information about himself, he needed to reciprocate. "He lost a big client at work about a week ago," Harry started, and Sirius just sat there, surprised that Harry was going to open up so fast. "He came home drunk and was upset that there wasn't any more liquor in the house. Then he realized that dinner wasn't ready yet. I was at the stove trying to finish when he pulled me back by my hair and threw me into a wall." By now, Harry had tears flowing freely down his face, but he ignored them. "I tried to get up, but he just kept kicking me. Finally, I just stayed down, thinking that he would leave. But then he pulled off his belt, and he…" Harry choked to a stop, unable to finish, but Sirius understood, especially after seeing the memory.

Sirius pulled him into a tight hug, rubbing his back gently and whispering reassurances into his ear. A few minutes later, he realized that his godson was asleep. He transfigured his clothes into pajamas, and gently put him to bed. He then went and sat down on his own bed, putting his head in his hands. Really, it should have been obvious how bad things were at Privet Drive. Why else would Harry have agreed to live with him after only knowing him for an hour, and less than half that believing he was innocent? He should have seen it. A few more minutes of brooding, and he realized this wasn't helping him any. To pass some time, he pulled out the notebook he kept, and started going over the plan for when they got to the French school. He'd been spending so much time teaching Harry, he'd neglected thinking about the mission itself.

Though, Sirius had always worked well that way. During Voldemort's first reign, Sirius had made a name for himself in the Auror Corps, being fast on his feet and able to come up with a plan with a minute's notice. But this was more than just arresting a few low level Death Eaters. After an hour of going over notes, he knew he needed to get some sleep, and was out the second his head hit the pillow.

* * *

When Harry woke, he was startled to realize that his eyes were puffy and swollen. Then he remembered what happened the night before, and swore under his breath. He hadn't meant to act like that. Clearly Occlumency was going to be a difficult experience, but he would work hard at it. He looked over to find his godfather still asleep on his own bed, and wanted to do something nice for him. So he hurried to dress and went down to get some breakfast for the two of them, doing the same as he had done the morning before, leaving Sirius's by his bed, and eating his own while reading. He only had a bit more to go before he finished his Transfiguration book, and couldn't wait to get to France to start practicing again. He had just closed the intro book and restarted his first year book, when he looked over to find Sirius next to him, eating his own breakfast.

Harry jumped a few inches out of the chair. "How do you DO that?" he demanded.

Sirius laughed. "Move quietly?" At Harry's nod, he continued. "Auror training," he said simply.

Harry stared at him. "You were an Auror? Really?"

"Of course. Why do you ask?" Sirius asked.

Harry shrugged. "Been thinking about it for a while, seems like a good career choice."

"Well, I have a lot of stories of the training with your dad, so if you ever wanted…"

"My dad was an Auror?" Harry exclaimed.

Sirius gaped at him. "You didn't know what your parents did for a living?"

"No, no one would ever tell me. So, dad was an Auror, huh? What did mum do?"

Sirius was still staring at him, then shook himself out of it. "She stayed home with you. Since they got married right out of Hogwarts, had you immediately afterwards, especially with James having such a dangerous job, they decided that she would stay home with you. But she swore that when you were old enough, she was going to talk to someone about the internships that she was offered after graduation."

Harry smiled. He doubted he would ever tire of hearing stories about his family. "I'd love to hear stories about you and dad as Aurors," he said with a smile.

Sirius just nodded and swallowed past the lump in his throat. "What are you working on now?" he asked for a change in topic.

"My first year Transfiguration book. I figured I'd stick with one subject for now, go through all the books and pick up anything that I'd missed before I go to a different subject."

Sirius laughed. "You take after Lily with that. James would have gotten bored with one subject, and jumped through three a day. But that's a good plan. We should be in France for lunch, so we'll keep going with the French lesson until we get there, then work on your practical portion of Transfiguration."

Just as promised, they shared lunch at a French restaurant, during which Sirius laughed at Harry's attempts to order lunch. Sirius mercifully took pity on him and ordered for the both of them.

"So, what part of France is the school at?" Harry asked, ignoring his godfather's laughs at him.

"It's a few more days away. We're not going much further today. In addition to your Occlumency lesson tonight, we have another lesson."

"What's that?" Harry asked curiously.

Sirius shifted slightly. "Well, I know you aren't going to like this, but as you are an aristocrat, I'm going to be coaching you in how to act like one."

Harry groaned. "Don't tell me I have to act like some pureblood ponce like Malfoy!"

Sirius laughed. "Not that bad, I promise. Time and a place for everything, kid, and when we get to the school, it'll help if you act rather sophisticated. That's why we bought the formal robes, so that you could wear them to the meeting with the Assist Head."

Harry nodded. He wasn't fond of having to put on an act, and even less that he may have to emulate Draco to some extent, but he understood the reasoning behind it. At the very least, he would never be as cruel and aloof as the purebloods he had come across, but would try to retain some of himself.

The two hurried to finish eating, and continued on their way, only driving another three hours before stopping at another shabby looking inn.

"What is this place?" Harry asked.

"This, my godson is L'ivre Lutin," Sirius said with a smile.

"Okay, Lutin is goblin or leprechaun, depending on the translation, what is l'ivre?"

"Drunken," Sirius laughed. "Welcome to the Drunken Leprechaun!"

"Is this… I mean, this inn is it…"

"Magical?" Sirius supplied. "Yeah, it is. Found this gem last summer before I came back to England. It's a nice place, don't worry."

The two went in, and Sirius greeted the owner like an old friend. After a few minutes talking in which Harry only understood a tenth of the words being spoken, they went up to their room.

Sirius spent the next two hours teaching Harry how to walk, greet people of various ranks, bow properly to different people, how to speak and write professionally, and a lot of other information that Harry should have grown up learning. When they decided to stop for dinner, Harry's brain once again felt like an over wrung sponge with all the new information. Sirius had the food brought up to their room so that Harry wasn't overwhelmed with having to translate in his head on top of all the other new information. He did insist that they speak only French while they ate, helping provide the words Harry fumbled over.

Sirius could tell that Harry was getting pretty frustrated, so he switched back to English. "Hey, I know this is a lot in one day, I'm just trying to teach you as much as I can."

Harry nodded at him. "I understand that. I'm just upset that we don't have enough time to cover all of this before the end of the summer. I feel like I need some more time to get my head around all this information, but we don't have that kind of time."

"I know, kiddo," Sirius sighed sadly. "And the lessons on aristocratic behavior is something that you should have grown up learning, or at least started once you were in the Wizarding world. But Occlumency will help with retaining everything. So we'll stop with the French and behavior lessons for today. Why don't you get out your wand, and start practicing Transfiguration? We'll go over that for a while, then have you read some more of your Occlumency book before we go through that again tonight?" he offered.

Harry nodded excitedly, and turned back to finishing dinner, but didn't rush like he normally would have. If he was going to act pureblood, then he was going to have to practice, and part of that meant staying 'in character' while he could. As soon as he was finished, he pulled out his wand and first and second year books. Sirius pulled out his own wand as well.

"Alright, so back to day one, huh? Match into needle," he ordered.

Harry recalled the wand movement and incantation, and then surprised the two of them by turning it on his first try.

"Nice," Sirius complemented. "Now turn it back."

Harry did that as well, and before he knew it, he had gone through every transfiguration from his first three years. If he didn't get it on the first try, he'd get it on the second. Harry wanted to go into the fourth year book, but Sirius stopped him.

"You've been at it for a while, you need a break. Go ahead and start on the Occlumency book. When you feel ready, just let me know, and we'll get started."

Harry nodded, and pulled out the book. He looked over curiously to see what his godfather was doing, but he just pulled out a notebook and started writing with a frown on his face. Harry shrugged at it, and started reading.

While Harry was reading, he found another method for protecting his mind. By creating a shield of sorts, it was able to allow the shielder to keep the intruder from accessing their thoughts. Harry found this to be an interesting idea. It was not impenetrable, but offered another layer of protection. He put the book down, and closed his eyes, beginning the meditation exercises offered. Half an hour of meditation later, and Harry was amazed. He never realized how one could do so much with one's own mind. He worked on pulling his memories away from the edges, and focused on erecting a strong shield around them.

Two hours had passed since they finished dinner, and Harry stood, wand in hand. "Sirius?" he asked softly, not wanting to disturb him if he was busy.

Sirius looked up, and smiled. "Ready, pup?" he asked, standing as well.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Harry said nervously, trying to relax and focus on his shield.

"Alright. Now, remember to relax, empty your mind," he said, voice getting softer until he was whispering. When he thought they were both ready, he cast the spell.

Sirius was surprised, to say the least. The teen had already managed to create an Occlumency shield, and it was only the second day of trying! He went around the shield, looking for weaknesses, and spotted one. Bracing himself, he barreled through the shield, and they were both awash in memories: his joy at unwrapping the Firebolt for the first time, seeing his parents in the Mirror of Erised, his confusion of seeing a 'family' at the Burrow for the first time.

Harry was able to tell as soon as his shield was breached, and worked on pushing Sirius out and building his shield back up.

"Nice!" Sirius yelled. "That was impressive, kid. Ready for another go?" he asked.

Harry was slowing his breathing. Even though he was staying in the same spot, Occlumency was as draining as Quidditch practice. But he nodded, taking a moment to ensure his shield was back up, and nodded.

Sirius cast the spell again, and found the shield to be just as strong this time. But he could see a few soft spots, and decided to try a new method. Remembering what Harry had said about his first detention, Sirius focused on that, and tore through the shields. This time, he was looking for a specific memory.

Harry could tell something was different this time. He felt and saw Sirius look through a few memories before casting them aside. All of them were from first year, and they were getting closer to the detention in the Forbidden Forest. Taking advantage of Sirius's single mindedness, he pulled that memory even further away. Soon, it was like a tug of war between the two over the memory. Harry was desperate to keep it, and felt a wave of magic leave him.

Harry didn't push Sirius from his mind like the last time, but he felt him leave. Unsure as to why, Harry made sure that his shields were back up before opening his eyes.

Sirius was rubbing his temples, eyes shut tight. Harry hurried over. "Are you alright?" he demanded, worried.

Sirius nodded, still massaging his head. "I'm fine. That method takes a bit more concentration, and to be honest, I wasn't expecting as much resistance as I got."

"I'm sorry," Harry said quietly, not expecting the light tap on the top of his head. He looked up at Sirius.

"Don't be sorry, that was really good. That time, I was looking for a specific memory, one that you had told me about. I tried to look at it, but you prevented me from doing so. That's the type of attack Voldemort is going to be using, and you fought it off on your first try. Don't you dare be sorry for that," Sirius reprimanded. "Want another shot at it?"

Harry considered. His mind was completely exhausted, but he really did need to master this. "One more," he agreed, and got back into position.

Sirius could tell immediately after casting that Harry wasn't going to be able to fight him off as easily. Harry's shields were weakened by all the strain of the day, but he pushed past them anyway, deciding to see how long it would take this time. As usual, the memories were flashing: Aunt Petunia striking him for reading instead of cleaning, getting frustrated at learning the Summoning spell the night before the First Task, Snape yelling at him for an essay as a first year. Sirius figured the academic memories were due to the amount of learning Harry was doing this summer. He focused harder on the memory of Snape, trying to pull it forward and see the whole thing. He was curious why his school boy rival was so harsh on Harry. He only managed to get halfway through before Harry started pulling it away again, but Sirius could tell that Harry wasn't going to win. He pulled harder and felt Harry's 'grasp' weaken and let go.

The connection broke when Harry fell to his hands and knees, panting.

"Alright, that's enough for tonight," Sirius decided, helping Harry back up.

"No, I can do this," Harry tried to protest.

Sirius laughed slightly. "You are mentally exhausted, Harry. You need a break, alright? Trust me on this, you'll pass out if we try that again."

Harry wasn't happy, but he knew that his godfather was right. He grabbed a set of clean clothes and went to take a hot shower. Coming back out fifteen minutes later feeling much more refreshed, he found his traveling companion on his bed with a frown.

"Knut for your thoughts?" Harry asked, sitting down and placing his wand on the table next to his bed.

Sirius turned slowly. "If I ask you a question, do you promise to answer it honestly?" he asked with surprising seriousness.

Harry was surprised. "Of course."

"What happened with you and Snape?" came the unexpected question.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "We hate each other, but it's been like that since I walked into the castle," he said, wondering where this was going.

"But what happened?" Sirius pressed, still thinking about the memory. _'Just like your father!'_ Snape had yelled.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. My first class he started taking points from me and hasn't stopped since. I think it has something to do with what happened in your guys' fifth year that you mentioned, but from what I can tell, he's always hated me because I look like my dad," Harry said simply. While he did get frustrated with it still, he wasn't bothered as much anymore.

Sirius scowled. "I think I'll be having a word with him when we get back home," he said.

Harry sat up straighter. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Look," Sirius started, sitting up, "the Marauders and Snape never got along. We'd prank him, he'd curse us, repeat ad nauseam. But Snape needs to realize that you aren't James, no matter how much you look like him. And it isn't fair for him to think otherwise, and to punish you for something that you have no control over."

Harry shrugged again. "Really, it's not that big of a deal. I know that's one of the reasons I do so poorly in potions, because I can't stand to be around him. That and the Slytherins love to throw things in my potions, because then they get to hear Snape yell at me. Anyway, I've accepted it, so don't worry about it."

Sirius shook his head sadly. "No kiddo, you shouldn't have had to accept it. Snape has no right to act that way to any student, no matter what he or she looks like. If I don't talk to him about it, I'll talk to Albus about it. Don't worry, he won't be acting that way anymore."

Harry just nodded. He hated the idea of someone else fighting his battles, but since Snape would never listen to him about it, maybe he did need Sirius to step in and help?

* * *

**Don't worry, I won't be having Harry rehash everything that happened in the four years, we'll just assume that he does at a later date. The reason that I wrote it out for the first year was that I wanted to show the two of them getting to know each other a bit better. After all, they'd only spent a few days total with each other prior to the summer, not counting letters. It only makes sense to show how they break the ice a bit better.**


	4. Chapter 4

**You guys are spoiling me with reviews and subscriptions! Not that I'm going to complain, I'm really glad that so many people are liking this story.**

**I never like to make a public reply to a review, but this one wasn't signed in, so I can't. Yes, Harry might be showing emotions when talking about his relatives, and no, I don't think that makes him childish. It's one thing to disagree, but please don't say that I ruined his character by having him show emotions. He's had a really rough month, and I don't believe there's anything wrong with having him express them. If you would like to continue to discuss this, feel free to sign in and PM me.**

**Alright, so this chapter has French in it, and I'll have the English translations in bold right after. I've taken French, so I think that the grammar is correct, but if I messed it up, feel free to PM me.**

* * *

The next few days passed quickly for the two. There were many times when Harry felt like he could never learn something new, and times he got so excited about something that he couldn't wait to try it again. He had already mastered every transfiguration through fourth year, and switched to Charms which didn't take nearly as long, as he had always found Charms easier than Transfiguration. After two days of brushing up on all the theory, he was able to get every charm memorized and practiced. He was due to start potions, but was just learning the theory for now. Sirius promised they would stop at an Apothecary sometime soon so that Harry could practice brewing.

His political and behavioral lessons were very serious but useful. Harry still felt like he was mimicking Malfoy, but Sirius assured him that he wasn't. That was one thing that Sirius could tell was a large difference between James and Harry. James had always walked with confidence and, dare he say it, arrogance. Harry's walk was much more timid, as was his speech. But as time went on, Sirius could start to see the confidence grow on the younger man. He knew that it more than related to the Dursleys. The longer Harry was with them, the more timid he was, and vice versa. Sirius was pleased to see Harry gaining confidence and drive.

The Occlumency lessons were still improving, but slower than the first two. Sirius still managed to break his shield every time, it was just a matter of how long he got to stay before being ejected. He could tell that Harry was frustrated, but kept reminding him how much he'd already accomplished.

The French lessons were going very well. Harry picked up language very easily, and Sirius had a feeling that Ancient Runes would be natural to the teen as well, but that was later in the summer.

Sirius worked his godson hard, but never heard a peep of complaint. If anything, Harry was pushing himself just as hard, if not harder; expecting so much out of himself that Sirius was getting worried.

The day before they were supposed to meet the Assistant Head of Beauxbatons, Sirius managed to break a record, and woke before Harry. So far that summer, Harry had never failed to wake up, get breakfast for the two of them, and be studying before Sirius was even awake.

He was surprised that he was the first one up, especially since he had cut their Occlumency lesson short the night before. After having seen another few memories of his relatives, the giant basalisk, and the memories from the dementors, Sirius insisted that they were finished for that night. Harry had almost pleaded with him to continue, but it was no use. In fact, after hearing James and Lily's final words, Sirius had needed some time as well.

Looking out the window, Sirius could tell that it was not yet dawn, but he was feeling rather refreshed. He looked over at Harry, though, and realized that his godson wasn't experiencing the same feeling. Harry was curled up, face scrunched, breathing heavily, and whispering. Sirius leant forward to hear.

"Don't kill Cedric. Mum, he's going to kill me. Dad, please," Harry pleaded in barely a whisper.

Sirius felt his heart break. Now he understood why Harry was pushing himself so hard. If he was exhausted, then he wouldn't dream. He couldn't let him stay in a nightmare, though, especially since it was obviously the graveyard.

"Harry, bud? Wake up, alright?" he said, shaking his shoulder slightly. "Wake up, Harry," he said louder when he hadn't gotten a reaction.

Harry shot up in the bed, hands covering his mouth to keep all sound in. Without taking a moment to think about where he was, he scrambled out of bed. "I'm so sorry," he said, backing up. It was only then that he realized he wasn't at Privet Drive, but was in the south of France with Sirius. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up," Harry said, looking around for his clothes.

"Harry, sit down for a minute?" Sirius asked softly.

The teen paused, then nodded, sitting back down next to his godfather.

"How long have you been having these nightmares?"

Harry shrugged. "I had them almost every night at the Dursleys, this was one of the first since you've picked me up. I really am sorry for waking you up, I didn't mean to."

Sirius shook his head, but Harry didn't see since he was looking at the covers. "You didn't wake me, I was already up. But it would never be a problem if you do. I want to be there for you."

"I'm fine," Harry insisted. When he could practically hear the skepticism, he amended, "I'll be fine."

"I know you will be fine. But Harry, what happened a few weeks ago would traumatize anyone. You have nothing to be ashamed of," he insisted, and let out a breath of frustration when Harry shook his head again.

"Sirius, I've faced Voldemort four times if you count when I was a baby. I should be stronger than this!"

Sirius resisted the urge to pinch his thigh and make sure he was awake. His fourteen year old godson had faced the most evil wizard more times than anyone other than Dumbledore? The teen was lucky to still be alive! "Harry," he said, turning the boy's face to look at him. "You are the strongest person I know, hands down. No matter what life has thrown at you, you've risen above it. But witnessing the murder of a classmate, the rebirth of Voldemort being helped by your father's friend, being tortured? These aren't things that you can just get over the next day."

Harry sighed, knowing that his godfather was right. "It just feels like I'm responsible for some reason. Not for his rebirth," he hastened to say, seeing the look on Sirius's face, "but for defeating him. I'm not sure why I feel like that, thought. It could be because of the Boy Who Lived nonsense, or the fact that I've faced him more times than anyone else, defeating him all but once. It just feels like I'm going to have to be the one to save the world again."

Sirius had to bite his lip to keep from sharing the prophesy. Harry had hit the nail on the head with that statement, and didn't even know it. Right then, though, Sirius didn't see the Boy Who Lived. He saw the teen who was practically his son, shouldering burdens that would break anyone else. Burdens he should never have had to bear. "Harry, I can't tell you how this war is going to play out. You know I would if I could. But I can promise you that I am going to do everything in my power to help you live through this war. I'm not going to sugar coat anything, you'd see through it. Molly has been doing that with her kids, and they fight her tooth and nail on it."

"She wants us to stay 'kids'," Harry said with a bitter laugh.

Sirius nodded. "For the majority of Hogwarts, that might be feasible. But you never had that chance, did you?" he asked.

Harry shook his head, but he wasn't ready to go into that line of discussion just yet. "Thanks, Sirius," he said, giving him a brief hug.

Sirius could tell that the subject was closed for now, and didn't push. He returned the hug, and said, "Let's get some breakfast, and then I have an idea for today," he said mysteriously.

Harry tried to get him to say what he was thinking, but his godfather wouldn't budge. After a quick bite, Sirius tossed Harry his wand.

"Have you ever dueled before?" Sirius asked.

Harry flinched. "Twice," he gritted out. "Once with Malfoy at a Dueling Club second year, which was a complete disaster. The other time was in the graveyard."

Sirius sighed and nodded. "Alright. Well, there are two kinds of duels you can expect most of the time. A formal duel, which there are competitions for, and a battle. I hope you won't have to battle for a long time, but Lady Luck doesn't really seem to like you, so we're going to have a mock duel."

Harry nodded, thinking it through. "Will this be a formal duel or a mock battle?" he asked curiously.

"Good question." Sirius waved his wand, and the small room they had been in was transformed to look like an abandoned street. "We'll do a mock battle."

Harry was staring around. "Wicked! How did you do that?"

Sirius laughed. "Magical room. I talked the owner into letting us use this one. I figured it would be a nice break from all the academic work we've been doing for the past week. Now listen up. Anything goes, except for lethal spells and the Unfogivables, understand?" he asked seriously. When Harry nodded, he continued. "Alright, first one to incapacitate the other wins. Ready?"

Harry responded with a disarming spell, which Sirius blocked, sending out a tripping jinx in response. Harry dodged it, and threw two Stunning spells at him. Sirius threw up a shield to block both of them, and sent a levitation charm back. Harry could tell that Sirius was holding back, but he was still struggling to keep up. After fifteen minutes, Harry was getting frantic. He spotted a few rocks on the ground. Praying that this would work, he enlarged them to the size of a small boulder and sent them with a banishing charm to Sirius.

Sirius dodged the first and banished the second, which unfortunately sent it crashing back into Harry's chest, throwing him back a few feet to lie motionless on the ground.

Sirius hurried over and looked him over. There were no broken bones, so he cast a simple Enervate.

Harry opened his eyes with a groan. Looking at the mini boulder next to him, he looked at Sirius with a wry grin. "Those things sure do pack a hell of a punch," he commented, standing up.

Sirius laughed. "Yeah, they do. Now, that wasn't bad for a first try. I wouldn't mind having you on my side, but there's definite room for improvement. That was a smart idea, using objects to send towards me, rather than just a spell. Shields don't work against physical objects, but that's a conversation for another time. It might have worked if I didn't have quick reflexes. Can you think of what you could have done after I sent it back to you?" he asked, wanting the kid to start thinking of things himself.

Harry thought for a moment. "I could have shrunk the rock back down. It would have had less of an impact that way.

"Exactly," Sirius praised. "You could have blocked it with the other, though I'm not sure you had the time for that. You also could have levitated it so that it flew over you. You also did a good job sending two stunners at once. Not everyone thinks of doing that, so smart thinking there."

Harry smiled at the praise, since it was still new to him. "I also need to work on my spell repertoire. I could tell that you were really holding back."

Sirius nodded. "It's not surprising, to be honest. You've had one decent defense teacher in four, so it's understandable that you would be a bit behind on spells. Want to give it another go?" he asked, and Harry nodded enthusiastically.

The two battled for a while longer, Sirius winning each time, though that was expected. In their fourth duel, Harry was getting desperate, so he decided to take a leaf out of Malfoy's book, and cast a serpent. Sirius looked at him, shocked for a moment, until Harry started hissing at the snake, telling it to scare him, but not to bite him. With Sirius focusing on the snake, Harry disarmed him, catching the wand, and vanished the snake.

Sirius stared at his godson for a moment, in shock. "You're a parsletounge?" he demanded, accepting his wand back.

A part of Harry was a bit nervous. He knew the stigma attached to that particular gift, which was why he didn't often use it around other people. Not to mention, he knew how Sirius felt about the Dark Arts. Another part of him, though, got defensive. "In duels, you have to use everything you can think of to stop the other person, right?" he asked, his tone bordering on angry. "I know that everyone thinks of it as a dark skill, but it's more how you use it than anything."

Sirius waved him to a stop. "Harry, I'm not upset about that, I'm impressed. I remember reading something about that in the paper a few months back, but I'd forgotten about it, to be honest. It was really smart the way you didn't just rely on the snake to do the job for you, but you used it as a distraction to disarm me, not using the snake as a weapon."

Harry smiled. "I told it to frighten you but not bite," he said sheepishly, feeling bad for snapping at the older man.

"That was smart. Want to have another go?" Sirius asked, and the two went at it again.

After another several mock battles, Sirius called them to a stop. Neither had realized that it was after two in the afternoon, and they had completely missed lunch. Sirius turned the room back to normal, and they brought lunch back to the room.

"So, how behind would you say that I am?" Harry asked after they'd finished a light lunch of soup and sandwiches.

Sirius thought for a moment. "Well, like I said, I certainly wouldn't mind having you on my side in a fight. I don't know if you realized, but we both stepped it back up at the end."

Harry nodded, having noticed that they were using more difficult spells as time wore on.

"There are things you do need to work on. Spell knowledge is one, which is why I bought a few extra DADA books at Flourish and Blotts. Your casting speed also needs some work. That just takes time and the familiarity of the spell. You may have noticed that you were faster at casting the disarming than stunning spells, right? Also, you seemed comfortable using Charms work, but not Transfiguration. Both are smart to use during battles, because they give you another edge over your opponent."

Harry nodded again, having noticed the same, and considered the advice. "So, how often are we going to practice this?" he asked curiously.

Sirius thought for a few moments. "I'm not sure. The main problem is that we need space, and it has to be away from Muggles. If the talk at Beauxbatons tomorrow goes well, we may stay there for a while to get in some training and learning. If we stay there, we'll set aside time for dueling every day. Otherwise, it'll be a bit more sporadic."

Harry agreed with the points. "I'm just glad that we're in France right now and can do this. I don't even want to think about how far behind I would be this year if it weren't for all of this," he commented.

Sirius nodded. "That's one thing I never understood. I mean, I get that we have to keep magic a secret, but losing several weeks worth of practice is so wasteful. That was one of the main reasons Albus was so willing to let you come with me on this mission, he wanted to give you a chance to get a bit more up to speed."

Harry was glad about that, since he really did feel more confident in his skills in the past week alone, having the time to review and practice without worrying about getting behind in his studies.

After lunch, they combined their French lesson with their behavioral lessons to prepare for the next day. Both wished they had a few more days to prepare, but the Assistant Headmistress was expecting them at eleven the following afternoon. Harry knew that Sirius was going to have to do most of the talking, because he had been speaking French for almost his entire life, whereas Harry had only begun the week before. Sirius assured him that he was picking it up remarkably fast, but Harry knew he still had a lot to learn.

They finished their day with another Occlumency lesson. Harry's shield was getting stronger, but Sirius was still able to break through each time, and it was always a challenge to force him out. They practiced for about an hour before Sirius ended it, saying that he didn't want to wear either of them out before the next day.

They both sat at a small table drinking butterbeer, which the French drank as well, and spent some time talking about various things.

"So, you think later this week we could stop by an Apothecary and get some ingredients?" Harry asked, flipping through his third year text. "I made a list of what to buy for about ten potions I want to try, plus a little extra in case I botch one of them."

"Sure," Sirius agreed. "I'm sure that now you've had a chance to read the intro book, and go over the potions again, it'll be much easier. Plus Lily helped the Marauders quite a lot over the years. I'm not as good as Snape, but I should be able to help you if you need it," he offered.

Harry smiled. "Thanks. It really should be easier. I always wondered if I was awful at it, or if it was just Snape's teaching methods and the sabotage attempts."

"Slytherins sabotaged your potions?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded. "They never bother with Hermione, since it's clear she knows what she's doing, but Ron and I are fair game. Malfoy's always throwing various things into the potion. Or I'm too far from the board if it's not in the books," he said, touching his glasses to emphasis the point.

Sirius frowned. "When was the last time your prescription was updated?" he asked.

Harry laughed. "Never had one. These are the same ones that Aunt Petunia brought home one day. The school was getting on her that I couldn't see the chalkboard from the third row, so she just picked up a random pair at the drugstore."

Sirius growled, though he really should stop being so astonished at anything said about those people. "We'll stop by a magical optometrist tomorrow morning. I know there's one near Beauxbatons, so we'll get you a set of self correcting lenses." He chewed his lip thoughtfully for a moment. "You know, that could explain why you were having some problems dueling today. You couldn't see the curse until the last second." That being said, Sirius was even more impressed with the teen's reflexes.

Harry looked up. He hadn't thought of that, to be honest. "That's a good point." Out of habit, he pulled out his money bag, and went through it. "I think I'll have enough…"

"Harry James, do we have to go through this every time?" Sirius asked, rolling his eyes. "I am your godfather. If you were talking about sweets or something from Quidditch Supplies or Zonkos, I'd say that you should spend your own money. But essentials are something that I take care of for you," he reminded.

Harry blushed and put the bag away. "Sorry, force of habit. The past fourteen years I've been buying anything I need, I'm not used to this."

Sirius thought about that. He knew that Harry would clam up when the Dursleys were mentioned, but he needed to start talking about them a bit more. "What about before Hogwarts?" he asked carefully.

Harry sighed. Just like Sirius, he knew that he needed to open up a bit about his childhood; it was just difficult. "They would give me Dudley's old clothes, broken pens and pencils with torn notebooks for school. Over the summers and in the winters starting when I was six, they would farm me out to the neighbors for cheap labor. If I was paid, I was expected to give Aunt Petunia the money to pay for my food and lodgings."

Sirius gaped at him, appalled that a six year old would worry about room and board.

"I remember once, the year before I went to Hogwarts, I shorted them a few dollars each time, until I had enough to buy a new bag for school. I'd been using an old one of Dudley's, but it was more duck tape than anything else, and I really wanted another one. So I saved up as much as I could and then hurried to the store and bought it." Harry got a slightly wistful expression there. "I was so proud, having finally bought something for myself with money that I'd earned." He looked a bit sheepish there, looking at Sirius guiltily. "I hadn't thought about the fact that I would have to tell the Dursleys where I'd gotten the money for it. They, uh, were pretty upset that I'd been 'stealing' from them. They gave the bag to Dudley. Uncle Vernon, uh, knocked me around a lot that night, they locked me in my cupboard and didn't give me anything to eat for about a week. It worked, because I learned never to short them again on my earnings."

Sirius was seething. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. James and Lily would have been proud of him for prioritizing like that, buying something for school and not sweets. But instead he was beaten, starved, and locked up. "You said 'your cupboard', but when I went to pick you up, you had a room upstairs." He remembered what Vernon had said, but he knew there had to be more to the story.

Harry nodded at the unasked question. "Yeah, that used to be Dudley's second bedroom for all of his toys, either the broken ones or just the ones that didn't fit into his first room. But when my first letter from Hogwarts got there, it was addressed to Harry J Potter, Cupboard Under the Stairs. Uncle Vernon was afraid that someone was watching the house, so he moved me in there. Not that it worked, mind you."

Oh, Sirius was definitely going to be having a discussion with Dumbledore. That would be after making sure that the Dursleys were punished for this. He wasn't crazy enough to just go there and attack them, since that would wind him back in Azkaban, but he wasn't going to let this go unpunished. He sighed. "Thanks for telling me, Harry. I know that you don't like doing it. But the more you talk about it, the easier it gets," he promised.

Harry nodded, and thought of a way to change the subject. He knew why he needed to talk about all that, but it didn't mean he liked it. He looked down at the text in his hands, and thought for a moment. "Would learning Herbology first help?" he asked. When Sirius looked at him in confusion at the abrupt topic change, he elaborated. "Before I start brewing the potions, since we have to wait until we can stop by an Apothecary, would it help to review Herbology? Knowing how various plants react with others, and what their properties are might help when I start brewing."

Sirius looked at him with pride. "That's a great point. I'm not sure when we'll get a chance for you to practice brewing, but I would say that going over Herbology wouldn't hurt in the slightest."

Harry nodded happily. Sirius went over to his bed to get some reading of his own, and Harry went through his bag. Pulling out the battered copy of **The Art of War**, he realized that he hadn't thought of it for nearly a week since Sirius gave it to him. He set down his texts and pulled out that book, sitting down to read.

Sirius looked over at him when he got comfortable and started reading. "What have you got there?" he asked curiously.

Harry showed him the cover. "If we're going to be talking to a powerful school tomorrow about the war, I think I should spend a bit of time reading about what an expert has to say on the subject."

Sirius beamed at him again, not that Harry saw, as his eyes were glued on the book. "Good thinking, kiddo," he complimented, and went back to his notes. He was a bit worried about the meeting. He hoped that Madame Maxime thought to let the Assistant Headmistress know what happened, but he wasn't sure. The next time he looked over at the teen, he was fast asleep, unable to stay awake after the dueling and Occlumency lessons.

Sirius slowly walked over, smiling down at the messy haired teen. Harry would do him proud, he was sure of it. Just looking at all he had accomplished this week, and Sirius was already proud. He gently pulled the book away, marking the page, and pulled the covers up. With that, he went back to his own bed, and doused the lights.

The next morning, Harry was again the first one up, got breakfast for the two of them, and grabbed **The Art of War**. He was pretty nervous about this, even though he wasn't going to be doing most of the talking.

Sirius woke to the familiar setting of food next to his bed and Harry studying. He grabbed the plate and went over to his godson.

"How's it coming?" Sirius asked in French, testing him.

"Slowly," Harry answered in the same language, not looking up, and not paying attention to the language. "I am a bit nervous about today. You?"

Sirius laughed, and switched back to English. "You do that well today, it'll be easier."

Harry looked up, startled. Up until now, he had always had to think before speaking in his second language, but it was becoming more natural. With a grin, he closed the book and started eating more. "So, first stop is the optometrist?" Harry asked curiously.

Sirius nodded. "There's a town close to Beauxbatons, kind of similar to Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. If we have time, we might make a few other stops as well. In some cultures, it's just as rude to arrive early as it is to arrive late," Sirius told him.

Harry nodded. It made sense. "Where else would you want to stop?"

"Well, we need some more parchment, especially if I'm going to be setting you essays pretty soon. Also, we can stop by a bookstore. The French have some spells that might be interesting to learn."

Harry thought about that a bit. "We haven't done anything with reading French yet, so that might be difficult. But other than that, sounds like a good idea. Do you think they might have my fifth year books in English?" Harry asked with a grin.

"Actually, they might. So many people vacation here, they make a tidy profit carrying anything that Hogwarts students might need." Sirius winked at him. "What, getting bored on me? And here I thought I was doing a good job of keeping you busy."

Harry laughed as he protested. "I'm finally fully caught up in most of my subjects, I just want to make sure that I don't fall behind again. Besides, we still have Arithmancy and Ancient Runes to start later," Harry reminded him.

Sirius nodded. "I haven't forgotten. You've been picking everything up rather fast so far. We'll pick up some fifth year texts, hopefully start Arithmancy and Runes next week once you're caught up on Potions," he told him, finishing up his breakfast.

The two got dressed in their formal robes, and Sirius did some last minute quizzing, making sure Harry was as ready as he could be.

* * *

The small village of BelleMagique was truly a pretty place, though Harry did prefer Hogsmeade. The two hurried to a small building that had a lot of frames in the windows, and walked in, Sirius nodding to Harry to be the one to talk. He knew he was expecting a lot of the teen, but the more he spoke, the easier the language would come to him.

"Bonjour, monsieur," **Good Morning, sir. **Harry said politely, back straight, hands clasped behind him, remembering his lessons. "Je m'appelle, Harry Potter. J'ai besoin d'une nouvelle paire de lunettes, s'il vous plait." **My name is Harry Potter. I require a pair of glasses, please.**

The man looked closely at him, and then nodded. He asked if price was an issue, and Sirius smoothly stepped in and said that no, price was no worry to him.

Ten minutes later, they walked out with a new pair of self correcting lenses that looked much better than his old ones. They were also unbreakable and water repellant, which would help. Harry couldn't stop stammering his thanks after hearing the price of them, but Sirius waved him off, saying that these were the glasses he should always have had. Harry himself was just amazed at how bad his old glasses were, and how much easier it was to see everything. They stopped off at another shop and got several rolls of parchment, quills, and ink. The next stop was a bookstore.

Harry went to get the typical fifth year books for Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, and History. Since he hadn't gotten the booklist yet, he wasn't sure what to get for Divination, CoMC, or DADA. Sirius had grabbed a few books on French spells. While most were the same, every country had spells in their own language, which sometimes changed what the spell did. The two paid for their purchases, and Sirius hurried the books back to their hotel room, while Harry looked around the village.

At quarter to eleven, the two made their way to the castle. At their Entrance Hall, they were greeted by a young woman, who introduced herself as the caretaker. Harry was struck by the difference between her and Filch, the Hogwarts caretaker. But she explained that she was just the overseer, and that it was a privileged position. She led the way to the Headmistress's office.

At the door, she poked her head in and said that the two Brits were there. After receiving a nod, she opened the door wider, and waved them forwards.

Sirius walked in first, Harry only a step behind him. Harry was running through all of his etiquette training to make sure he didn't make a fool of them.

"Ah! Les hommes d'Hogwarts, non?" she asked. **The men from Hogwarts, no?**

Harry wasn't sure what he'd expected, since they had a half giantess for a Headmistress, but this charming woman wasn't it. She was middle aged, about five foot one, very petite, but held herself well. She stood up from behind the desk and shook both their hands. Speaking over their shoulders, she continued. "Mercie, Renee, c'est tout." **Thank you, Renee, that's all.**

The caretaker curtseyed, and closed the door. The Assistant Headmistress nodded to them and motioned them to sit. "Je m'appele Mme Mouton, pas plaisanterie, s'il vous plait." She gave them a warming smile. **My name is Ms. Mouton; no jokes, please.**

Sirius assured her they wouldn't dream of it, and they spent the next few minutes exchanging pleasantries. Harry kept up as best he could, but the two were speaking very fast, and he was struggling to keep up.

Madame Mouton must have seen the slightly bemused expression on his face that slipped past his mask, and she nodded to him with a smile. "You speak our language well," she complimented in barely accented English. "Have you been speaking it long?"

Harry gave her a small nod of thanks. "About a week, Madame. I have a good teacher, though," he said, inclining his head slightly to Sirius.

Her eyebrows rose slightly. "Only a week? That is rather impressive, young man. Well, I gather you are not here to enroll in this school," she said with a grin.

Harry and Sirius laughed at that. "No, Madame," Sirius said, still grinning at the thought of his godson attending an all girls' school. "We were sent here by Professor Dumbledore to discuss the events from this past June."

Madame Mouton's face fell slightly. "Yes. I have spoken with both Fleur and Gabriella about the events immediately following the Third Task, and spoken at length with Madame Maxime about them as well. I understand that she and your gamekeeper have been sent on a mission not far from here, which I must say, is not something that most people would think of."

Sirius paused. Saying the wrong thing here could be disastrous. "How do you mean, Madame?" he asked.

In an unguarded moment, she rolled her eyes at him. "Trying to gain the allegiance of the giants before Voldemort?" she said. She noticed their raised eyebrows when she said the name. "We know of him well, and as his name is French, it would be silly of any of us to fear said name."

Harry wanted to kick himself for not realizing it sooner. "Flight from death," he whispered, having made the connection.

Madame Mouton nodded at him. "Precisely. I do not know the motivations of one such as him to create that name, as I doubt any parent would have named their son that. However, back to the discussion at hand, it is a bold move to attempt, and I know Madame Maxime well. She would not leave her school for trivial matters after another prolonged absence. Even if there was no other evidence, I trust the Headmistress of this school."

The rest of the talk took less than an hour. Madam Mouton was already behind them, promising help whenever they needed it. She was furious with the British Ministry of Magic attempting to lure the Wizarding population into a false sense of security by saying that Voldemort is still quite weak and not a threat. She assured them that the school was only a Floo call away should they need assistance. She also offered them lodgings for a while, should they desire it.

Sirius was amazed. He had been worried about how this discussion would go ever since Albus had given it to him, but this was better than he ever would have expected. Plus, now they had a place to practice for a while. He would need to contact Dumbledore to let him know how it went and that they were staying for at least another two weeks before heading back to England.

Madam Mouton's voice cut into his thoughts. "Now, if the school were in session, I would not be able to let you stay. But school does not start for another five weeks, therefore, you can stay up to four. We have a set of adjoining rooms that you can use, as well as have full use of our dueling chambers, library, and potions classroom. Feel free to use any ingredients you need, just keep a list of anything you use so that we can restock. You are also welcome to join me and the rest of the staff for meals if you choose, or you can visit the village. But," she started, grinning at Harry, "I do believe that you can get some practice with your language skills should you join us. We also have some very beautiful young staff here, barely older than yourself."

Harry hoped that his face wasn't as red as he thought it was. Ignoring the waves of amusement coming off of Sirius, he kept a straight face and thanked Madam Mouton for her consideration in flawless French. That had been one thing he'd worked hard on, since he wanted to leave with a good impression.

* * *

As soon as the two left the castle to gather their belongings, Sirius couldn't help it any longer, and doubled over laughing. Harry shoved his shoulder in mock anger.

"You should have seen your face," Sirius gasped, holding his stomach, dignity forgotten for the moment.

"Thanks a lot, dear godfather," Harry huffed, his face heating up again.

"Oh, come on, pup," Sirius laughed, setting off again. They were almost back to the hotel. "You have to admit that was funny."

Harry just humphed, and ignored his godfather for the time being, but they were talking again as soon as they got back to the room.

Sirius told him to pack for both of them, that he was going to contact the headmaster and let him know what happened. Harry agreed readily, and started working.

Sirius grabbed the small bag of Floo Powder and tossed it in the fire, kneeling down, and saying the headmaster's name.

After things stopped spinning, he saw Dumbledore's office, and he was sitting at his desk.

"Sirius," the headmaster said with a smile. "How is the mission going?" he asked, slightly worried.

Sirius relayed all the events that had taken place at Beauxbatons and how well things went. He made sure to mention the offer of support should they need it, and Albus smiled, eyes twinkling.

"Well, it sounds like things went better than expected, my son. Are the two of you going to come back, then? Or would you like to go to the school in Spain?" he asked.

Sirius shook his head. "Madam Mouton offered us lodgings for a while, and I would like the chance to keep teaching Harry while we're here. Since he can do magic here, and Spain has the same underage laws as Britain, I believe it would be better for us to stay here for a while."

Dumbledore frowned. "I understand the necessity of Harry's education, but we are in need of allies right now. There is a lot that the Order needs to be done…"

"I understand that," Sirius interrupted. He still had a lot of things to discuss with the headmaster about Harry later, but not where the teen could overhear. "But I am just one man, a man that many still see as the mass murderer, no matter the pardon. You have a lot of people that are better suited to that work than I am. I believe that my time is much better spent here, building the alliance with Beauxbatons and working with Harry," he said stubbornly.

Dumbledore sighed. He had seen the obstinate look on Sirius many times over the years, and knew that even he wouldn't be able to get the man to budge. "Very well, Sirius. When should I expect you two to be back?" he asked, harsher than he intended.

Sirius's face hardened. "I don't know. We may spend about two weeks here. Then if international travel is still being watched closely, it would take a bit longer."

He nodded. "And where will you be staying when you come back?" he asked.

"Remus has been house hunting for me since the trial. I have given him a blank bank note to cover the down-payment, and expect that it should be ready by the time we come back. If it isn't, then I will take him to Headquarters." He knew that the Order was using his childhood home, but he really didn't want to take Harry there if he could help it. Maybe Remus would let them stay with him?

Dumbledore frowned again, but agreed. The two finished the Floo call not long after, and Sirius pulled his head out of the fireplace, brushing the soot out of his hair. He found the trunks and bags ready to go, and Harry was reading his fourth year potions book, making a few notes on a parchment next to him.

"What are you working on?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Potions essay. Now that I can actually do my homework before the first day of classes, I think I can do much better. Not that it's going to matter," he muttered darkly.

Sirius frowned. "I take it Severus would mark you the same way, no matter the effort put into it?" he guessed.

Harry nodded. "Though, I deserve the grade for my summer homework. I always have to finish it right after the feast, so it's usually pretty rushed."

Sirius was about to ask, but then remembered that Harry's books had been in the trunk locked in the blasted cupboard. "I hadn't thought about your summer work," he admitted instead. "I guess I won't have to assign you essays after all."

Harry shook his head. "No, it's fine. Especially with Runes and Arithmancy. I don't know if I'll be able to take the classes, since I'm two years behind everyone, but I can do independent study." Looking over his notes for the essay, he hesitated. He still wasn't used to asking for help. "After I finish the essays, would you mind looking them over?"

Sirius smiled at him. "I'd like to see you try to hand them in before I can," he laughed. "Alright, you ready to head back?"

Harry stood quickly, putting his book, quill, ink, and parchment back into his knapsack. "Definitely." He was ready to find out more about the place they would be staying at for a while, and helped to grab their things.

* * *

**So, I know that Beauxbatons in the books is not an all girls school, only in the movie, but I just couldn't help but put that scene in there :-)**

**1/6/13 Edit: Thank you to an anonymous reviewer, who corrected my French. It's been years since I've spoken, and I'm not surprised that I made a couple mistakes. So thanks!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Blah. I guess I can't help updating constantly :-) It's a bit longer than the last two, but it covers more time, as well. **

**Okay, so this has my thoughts of Potions, Occlumency, and a few other things. Like everything else, these are my interpretations, so hopefully no one finds them too ridiculous.  
**

* * *

The two went back to the castle, and Renee showed them to the rooms they would be staying at. She apologized, saying that lunch had already been served, but she could bring up some soup for them. Sirius thanked her and agreed.

By the time she came back with their lunch, the two were finishing unpacking their trunks and bags. Sirius asked for directions to the potions lab. Renee smiled at them and said she would be happy to.

Half an hour after that, Harry found himself standing above his cauldron, working on the first ever potion he'd done, one to cure boils. After reading the intro book, he finally understood the importance of each ingredient, why you ensured there was no dust after cutting them, why you stirred fast or slow, and hundred other things he'd never understood.

In under two hours, Harry had capped three vials of perfect boil cure, handing one to Sirius. He was horrified when Sirius then gave himself boils on his own arm.

"Sirius!" he cried, wondering why his godfather would give himself boils just to test the potion.

The older wizard smiled at him. "What? At least I didn't test it on you," he joked, then poured the cure over his arm, watching as they disappeared faster than usual. "Now that is impressive," Sirius complimented, wiping off the residue. "Normally it takes a bit longer to work. You did a good job on this."

Harry blushed at the praise. "Should I start another, or did you want to work on something else?" he asked hurriedly.

Sirius sighed. He would make sure by the end of the summer that Harry would be able to accept a compliment. "Tell you what. Is there a potion that only takes an hour to brew?" he asked.

Harry thought so, but flipped through his second year book to make sure. "Yep. The bruise balm takes 45 minutes, plus another ten to cool before it can be bottled."

"Alright. Start that one, and once you are done, we'll go to the dueling rooms," he promised, smiling at the excited look.

An hour later, Sirius once again tested the newest potion on himself, to his godson's horror. Once again, he was impressed. "Looks like you got your mother's Potions skills, kid. You sure you haven't always been this good?"

Harry snorted. "Not even close. I never understood why you did everything you had to in Potions until I read the intro book. Most of the time, I barely managed to scrape an Acceptable in the class. Of course, that class is mostly self taught. Snape just gives us the potion and yells at us if it's wrong."

Sirius growled. It was no wonder his godson never showed proficiency at Potions, he was never even given a chance. "Alright, well, like I said, this is impressive work. We'll do another potion or two tomorrow after breakfast. Finish cleaning up your station, I'll give your list of what you used to Renee and find out where the dueling chamber is."

Harry methodically cleaned his station, and considered the four bottles that were in front of him. He knew that it would be smart to keep some for himself if he ever needed it. But maybe he should give some of whatever potion he worked on to the Beauxbatons infirmary as a thank you for letting him use the ingredients? He would ask Sirius about it later.

The two went to the dueling rooms, and had to keep from drooling. The room was able to magically shift into any space that the seekers needed. Also, if someone was injured, Madame Mouton was immediately notified, and if someone was knocked out and not revived within five minutes, the room would revive them. This was a fail-safe in case a pair of duelers ended in a draw by stunning each other at the same time with no one around to revive them. Shaking them out of the awestruck wonder, Sirius changed the room to resemble Diagon Alley. There were no innocents, but there were shops, booths of merchandise to use for cover, and alleys to run through. Harry was amazed at all the space, but was brought back when Sirius started firing spells at him.

He leapt behind a barrel of dragon dung, waited for the barrage of spells to end, then stood. His casting speed was still slow, but he was working hard to fire spells as fast as he could. He fired three Stunning spells and two disarming hexes before having to go on the defensive again as Sirius fired spells back.

The duel lasted for another ten minutes before Harry was caught by a Stunner. After his godfather revived him, they started again. Sirius won each mock battle, but it was expected.

Sirius called them to a halt when he realized they had less than an hour to get ready for dinner. Harry grumbled good naturedly, promising to beat his godfather soon. So far, he'd only won once, and that was by using the snake trick.

There was no need to wear their formal robes now that they'd had their meeting, but they still wore the nicer of their casual robes.

During dinner, Harry worked hard to try and follow the conversations, but he was still struggling. Sirius was helpful and would speak a little slower than the others, who realized the problem, and spoke a bit slower as well. Harry was feeling stupider by the minute, but at least he was able to keep up with the conversations now. He was just glad that Sirius had taught him with a halfway decent accent, so he wasn't completely thrown off by native speakers.

Following dinner, Harry spent some time reading another chapter of his Occlumency book, and Sirius was reading a DADA book. After about two hours of reading and meditation, Harry stood. He had read about a new method, but wasn't quite ready to test it out just yet. It had spoken of using two or more shields to protect your thoughts. This way, if someone breached the first shield, you still had time to eject them from your mind before they reached anything. The book spoke of people who were able to use one massive shield covering everything, and smaller, though still strong, shields to protect groupings of memories. Apparently, it helped to view the individual shields as boxes, rooms, trunks, or things of that sort, and that each one contained different subjects of memories. Harry knew that method would take a lot more meditation than they had right now, so he would work on it over the next few days to see if it was possible for him to emulate, as well as what type of images to use for the individual shields.

Sirius looked up to find Harry standing and looking at him. "Ready?" he asked, marking the page of his book.

Harry just nodded, focusing on his shield. He had gone over it many times, each time finding weaknesses that he would reinforce, but he wasn't sure he'd gotten them all.

Sirius knew that he didn't need to whisper instructions anymore, so he gave Harry a moment to prepare himself, then whispered the spell.

His first thought was that he was impressed. The shield was even stronger that night. He went around the shield a few times trying to find its weakest point, and eventually found a small crack. Gathering all his strength, he threw himself through the shield, memories flashing along as always. The Sorting Hat was telling him he would do well in Slytherin, Malfoy mocking him for not having a proper family, Marge whacking him with her cane when he was five, and Voldemort forcing Harry to bow to him.

As Harry saw the last memory pass in front of him, he felt the familiar rage fill him. There was no way he would ever bow to that megalomaniac! Without realizing that he had already dropped his wand, he raised his empty hand and shot a wave of raw magic out, forcing Sirius to fly into the far wall, breaking his concentration.

When his mind was empty, Harry hurried to build back his shield, and looked over. His godfather was crumpled on the ground, unmoving.

Harry swore his heart stopped beating for a moment as he ran over and dropped to his knees. "Sirius?" he begged. He lifted the older man's head slightly, and felt a warm stickiness. Pulling one hand back, he saw blood covering his hand. Harry gently laid him back down, then turned and retched, throwing up his dinner. He had injured his godfather who had done so much for him over the past week!

At that moment, he forgot that he would have been able to revive him with a simple spell. All he knew was that he needed help. Then he remembered something that Madame Mouton had mentioned about the castle, that if anyone needed help, they just had to tap the door with their wand twice and whisper the name of the person they needed, and they would be notified. It only worked for staff to be notified, but it was still a good idea. Harry scrambled to grab his wand, and did what he needed. Within a minute, the door opened, and the Assistant Headmistress hurried in. She had been able to tell by the pain in Harry's voice that it was an emergency.

She took in the sight of Sirius on the ground and Harry's tear streaked face. "What happened?" she demanded coldly, gripping her wand tightly, wondering if she needed to curse him.

"He hit the wall pretty hard, his head is bleeding a lot," Harry said as fast as he could. "Please, just help him!"

She took another moment to stare at him, then nodded, kneeling by the crumpled form. She was proficient at healing, which was good since the Potions mistress and the nurse were both gone for the summer. She healed the laceration, then looked up to the ashen faced teen who was vanishing the evidence of his sick on the floor.

"Do you have any bruise balm or blood replenisher?"

"I made some bruise balm this afternoon," Harry said, going to his bag and grabbing the half empty bottle that Sirius had tested earlier. He handed that to her, as well as a full one just in case. "I haven't made any blood replenisher, though."

"Well, it is a fifth year potion, do you think you could manage it? My Potions teacher is gone for the summer, as is the nurse."

Harry nodded vigorously. If there was ever a time that he could brew a potion perfectly, this was it. He hurried to the bag where they had bought books only that morning, and flipped through the potions book, finding the one he needed. "It takes three hours to make, and half an hour to cool before it can be ingested," he read aloud. "Would you stay with him?" he pleaded.

She nodded at him, and he took off for the potions lab. She watched him leave, and when he was out of earshot, she levitated Sirius onto the bed, and cast an Enervate to wake him up.

"Huh?" was all Sirius could say at that moment. He was a little confused.

"Shush," she soothed. "You hit your head pretty hard and lost some blood. I'm not terribly concerned, since head wounds bleed more than most, but you need to rest. Now, Harry gave me some bruise balm to use, and he's working on a blood replenisher as we speak."

Sirius sighed. Even through the pounding headache he was having, his thoughts went to Harry. Clearly this happened during Occlumency. He must have come across a memory that Harry was upset about, causing him to shove him out rather forcefully. He nearly groaned. Harry would never forgive himself for this, Sirius thought.

He sighed in relief as she spread some of the bruise balm on his head, helping the pain immensely.

"I really need a blood replenisher?" he asked, sitting up slightly.

"It's better to be safe than sorry. And I don't know what happened here, so I figured sending him out of the room was the best I could do for you both."

Sirius started to shake his head, then remembered why that was a bad idea. "No, actually I think he needs to be here, but no matter. I'll talk to him when he gets back."

"Well," Madame Mouton started. "Since it appears there are no hard feelings, as Harry actually threw up after this accident, and you aren't upset, I find myself wondering what on earth you two were doing, since you are aware of our dueling chambers."

Sirius sighed, knowing a veiled order when he heard one. "We practice Occlumency every night. Harry has a lot of bad memories, and sometimes he reacts more when I see one that he doesn't want me to. It's great practice, since he's getting good at throwing me out. But something happened tonight that was different, I can't remember what…" Sirius trailed off, groaning in frustration. There had been something different about how Harry pushed him out than was usual, but he couldn't remember!

"Well, until you are sure you two are safe to practice, might I suggest a cushioning charm on the immediate area? Or perhaps taking this to the dueling chambers?" she suggested.

"Thank you, Madame Mouton," Sirius said. "Cushioning charms do sound like a good idea right now."

"Madame Mouton is a bit formal after you've bled on me. You can just call me Caroline," she said with a smile.

* * *

Harry needed to take a moment after arriving to stop shaking. If he was shaking while cutting the ingredients, it could be disastrous. After all, this wasn't a simple potion for class, this was for Sirius. He read through the instructions four times before setting to work. The potion needed to simmer for half an hour when it was an hour in, so he started flipping through the book again, trying to find something else that would help. He found the simplest pain potion, which took 75 minutes to make and 15 minutes to cool. Harry had never made more than one potion at a time, but he felt jittery, and knew that he needed to at least try.

So while his blood potion was simmering, he went to work on the pain potion. He chose each ingredient with care, making sure it was the freshest of its kind, and took care with how he diced, powdered, and skinned each one. After a while, his moves became automatic: stirring one clockwise five times, then going to the other to pour in another ingredient that he'd diced, then back to the first. He only noticed the passage of time by how long each potion was taking. Soon enough, the pain potion was taking time to cool, and he carefully ladled it into two vials. Then he realized that he didn't want to think, he just wanted to do. Working two potions at once had helped keep his mind off the blood that had been on his hands, and wasn't now only because he had scrubbed them until they were raw, needing to get Sirius's blood off of him before he could even think.

As soon as the pain potion was ready to go, he chewed his lip slightly. The blood replenisher would be ready to cool in another half an hour, and he didn't think he could stand another hour without keeping his mind occupied. He thought back to the bruise balm he had made earlier. He didn't have the instructions in front of him, but he remembered them as clearly as though they were. He cleaned up everything around his second cauldron that had made the pain potions, and set up two more cauldrons. Before he started on the balm, he double and triple checked everything on his blood replenisher. Seeing that it was going as well as could be, he started on a huge batch of bruise balm, making as much as he could. He was making sure that he stocked up in case Sirius needed some more, and also was now determined to give some to the school, since he now knew the Potions Mistress wasn't there for the summer.

It was exactly what he needed: it kept his hands busy and his mind where it needed to be. His movements were automatic, as though he'd been brewing potions his whole life. Well, he only learned the summoning charm the night before he needed it to defeat a dragon, he learned a NEWT charm – the Patronus – at thirteen, and Ron had learned the levitation charm only by using it on a troll. It seemed pressure was what was needed sometimes.

The blood replenisher was taken off the flames and was cooling, and Harry was finishing up what he needed to do for the massive amounts of bruise balm. Soon enough, everything he'd been brewing was cooling, and he had time to think.

In truth, he knew that the injury wasn't dire. Sirius surely had worse happen; after all, he'd been an Auror. But Harry couldn't get over the fact that this wasn't a Death Eater that hurt him, it was Harry, his own godson! Everything Sirius had done so far had been to help him. So he was going to do whatever it took to help him now. He knew they couldn't stop the Occlumency lessons; Sirius had mentioned how important they were, but Harry could start taking precautions. He had just relearned the cushioning charm a few days ago as it was a fourth year Charm, and vowed to cast it everywhere before he would think of starting the lessons again.

The first that was ready to be bottled was the balm. Harry was amazed. He had made ten bottles of the stuff! As soon as every last bit was scraped out from the cauldrons, he hurried to bottle the two vials of blood replenisher. Part of him wanted to leave the mess and hurry back, but he knew that would be beyond rude, and he knew that if Sirius was truly in danger, Madame Mouton would have taken him to the hospital.

He hurried to clean everything up, putting the borrowed cauldrons back where they had been, as well as the knives and mortar and pestles. Finally, he was ready to go, and had found a small canvas bag to carry everything in. Unfortunately, there were so many bottles of bruise balm, he needed to carry the vials of blood replenisher.

He kept a tight grip on it as he hurried back to his godfather's room. He felt an unimaginable amount of relief when he saw Sirius sitting up in bed talking to the Assistant Headmistress who was sitting on a chair by the bed.

Sirius was the first to see Harry rush in, vial in hand. He gave his godson a grin. "Hey, kiddo. That for me?"

Harry just nodded dumbly, relief still choking him. Then he felt the weight on his shoulders, and he set the bag down, missing the wide eyes of both the adults. "Blood replenisher," he said, handing the vial to Sirius, and then reached in and pulled out the other two vials. "Pain potion," he said, handing one to him as well. He put down the two unused potions for each of the ones that he'd given Sirius, since the instructions gave enough for two vials. Then he handed the bag to the witch. "Bruise balm," he explained, seeing her confusion.

Sirius hadn't downed the second vial. He knew that Harry would work hard on the first potion, and he could already feel it working, once again much faster than he was used to. But to find that he had made not only this potion, which was certainly difficult, but another one that he'd never been taught. And how many bottles were in that bag?

The older witch stood, and glanced curiously at the younger wizard, who was standing awkwardly off to the side. Then she gently upended the bag onto the bed, gasping as all ten bottles rolled onto the bed. She stared at Harry.

"I needed to keep my hands busy, since the blood replenisher potion takes so long. So I started a pain potion, since I figured you could use that," he told Sirius, who was still staring at him. When neither said anything, he continued. "But then I still had an hour, and I was starting to fidget, and I remembered that you said the nurse and Potions Mistress were gone for the summer, and I wanted to find some way to thank you for helping Sirius, so I made a few batches of bruise balm. I figured you could use them in the infirmary." He finished his rambling, and was still a bit uncomfortable, as they were still staring at him.

"Harry?" Sirius started, still looking at the potion in his hands. "You realize that before today, you were struggling to make any potions, and now you make almost an entire vat to pass the time, not to mention two potions that are more than likely on your OWLs?"

Harry shrugged. "I do better under pressure, and I don't do well with waiting. I didn't have the bruise balm instructions in front of me, but I had just made a batch a few hours ago."

Sirius stared at him for another moment, before he started laughing. He laughed for a few moments before downing the pain potion, as his neck was still bothering him a bit. As he'd come to expect from Harry's potions, relief was immediate and wonderful. "Thank you, Harry," he said sincerely, waving Harry forward. He pulled his godson down into a hug, holding him tightly.

Madame Mouton could tell that they needed a few moments, but she just had to make sure first. "M. Potter," she said, starting to put the bruise balm back into the bag. "Tu dis…." She started, then shook her head and continued in English. "You are telling me that you made all of this for the school simply as a thank you?"

Harry shrugged, and looked down at the floor. In all the excitement, he forgot the etiquette training, and reverted back to how he behaved at the Dursleys. "I had been thinking about it anyway, since you were being considerate about allowing me to use your ingredients. But I needed something to do with my hands, and remembered that you said both the teacher and nurse were gone, and figured it would most likely be used, Madame Mouton."

Caroline stared at him for another moment, then smiled. "Thank you, Harry. That was very kind of you to think of that. And please, call me Caroline." She pulled out two of the bottles, and handed them back to harry, slung the bag over her shoulder, and left the room.

Harry took the two bottles and placed them on the dresser, along with the other two bottles (as Caroline had only needed to finish the half bottle), as well as individual vials of blood replenisher and pain potion. He kept his back to his godfather, fussing with the arrangement of potions. "There's a second vial here of the pain potion. The book said you can take it again in a few hours."

"Harry," Sirius started, wanting to talk to him.

"There's also a second vial of the blood replenisher," Harry continued as though he hadn't heard, still turned around. "The book says to wait at least eight hours after the bleeding has stopped before you take another one. I'm not sure how much you were bleeding, so if you need it, make sure you take it."

"Harry," Sirius said, more firmly this time.

"And there's plenty of bruise balm here for you, in case she didn't use enough." Harry kept talking, hoping that he could put this off.

"Harry James Potter, turn around," Sirius ordered, finally having enough.

Harry knew that tone, and spun around, eyes on the ground. His relatives never liked it if he looked at them before they punished him.

"Harry, come here please," Sirius said in a much softer tone.

The teen looked up for a moment before walking over and taking the chair that Caroline had vacated. "I'm really sorry," he whispered. "I swear I didn't mean to hurt you."

Sirius got up, and placed a hand under Harry's chin, forcing him to look at him. "Harry, I'm fine. See? It was just a little bump on the head, barely anything to worry about. Besides, you did everything. You brought in someone who could help, and then you completely overwhelm me with your sudden skill at brewing." He paused there, taking in the slightly fearful eyes, and pulled him into a tight hug. "There's nothing for you to be sorry about," he reassured. "You certainly didn't mean to hurt me. I'm guessing that I found a bad memory?" he guessed.

Harry nodded glumly. "It just made me really upset. I barely remember what happened. Just that seeing the memory again got me furious, and I didn't have my wand in my hand for some reason. I just lifted my hand, and felt a wave of magic pulse out of me. Next thing I know, you're crumpled on the ground."

Sirius gaped at him. "You did wandless magic," he whispered. There were only ever rumors of individuals with magic so strong they were able to channel it without a wand. But then he shook himself out of it. There would be time to consider it later. He guided Harry back to the bed, and the two sat side by side. "What was the memory?" he asked gently.

"It was in the graveyard," Harry answered, staring at his hands. He realized that there was still some blood under his nails, and started scarping at them, only stopping when Sirius grabbed his hands. "I told you after the Third Task that we had dueled, right?"

Sirius nodded, starting to remember.

"Well, he told me that I needed to bow, since it was the rules in a formal duel. I refused, and he cast a spell that forced me to bow to him."

Sirius grabbed his godson and pulled him into another hug, kissing his messy hair. "I am so sorry you had to go through that," he whispered.

Harry shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "It's not that big of a deal. I mean, he made me bow. It's not like that's the worst thing that happened that night."

"That doesn't matter," Sirius told him firmly. "You deserve nothing that's happened to you, certainly not that.

Harry was ready for a change in topic. "You sure you're alright?" he asked, fingers picking at his sleeves.

Sirius smiled sadly. "Of course I'm fine, pup. And I appreciate you brewing the potions for me."

Harry just blushed and mumbled something vague, then went back to his own room. He didn't care what Sirius said, he was going to make sure he never hurt him again.

* * *

The next day, Harry woke at dawn. Still shaking somewhat from the night before, he pulled out his Potions essay, determined now more than ever to throw himself into his studies. He had just put the finishing touches on the essay when Sirius walked in. "Ready for breakfast?" he asked cheerfully.

Harry laid the essay out to dry and capped his inkwell. "Yeah, just give me a second to put these away," he mumbled. Soon as everything was ready, the two left.

"What were you working on?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Potions essay," Harry answered. "Guess I got a little inspired yesterday."

Sirius just nodded. He knew he was going to lift his godson's spirits, he just needed to think of something.

Breakfast was a subdued affair, and Harry and Sirius went down to the Potions lab. Harry set out making a common burn paste and sleeping potion. The first was a simple second year potion, the second was a fourth year one. As he'd done the night before, he made double batches of both and set aside half. Sirius was astounded. Just the day before, neither had been sure of Harry's brewing skills, but now it was clear he had a very strong ability for them. Harry had brought down two bags to carry the bottles in once they were finished, and took one of them up to their rooms, and gave the second to Renee with the list of ingredients he'd used. Renee had been shocked, but she hid it well, taking the bag and parchment with a smile.

After they were finished there, the two made their way to the library, and Harry was struck dumb at the sight. It was easily twice the size of the Hogwarts library, and was easier to navigate, not to mention a much more open feeling, clearly to encourage study groups to meet there. The two quickly sat at one of the tables and started working. Sirius was teaching him the basics behind Ancient Runes, and Harry found the subject fascinating. When the older wizard called them to a halt for lunch, Harry was actually disappointed.

They ate a light lunch and then went to the dueling room. Sirius had to suppress a sigh, needing to stun Harry five times in a row before the teen would send a single curse his way. He needed Harry to snap out of this. After another while longer practicing their dueling, Sirius had an epiphany, remembering something that Caroline had told him the night before.

"Hey, you want to head to the pitch and go for a fly?" Sirius asked, smiling when Harry's face lit up. The teen ran for his room to grab his broom and Sirius borrowed one from the school, and they set out for the pitch.

The Beauxbatons Quidditch pitch was smaller than the one at Hogwarts, but that was fine. The two had a great time flying around alternating Chaser and Keeper. By the time they landed to get ready for dinner, Harry's face was flush with happiness, and Sirius grinned, grateful for the fact that Harry was acting his age, the first time Sirius had seen him like that.

When they got to dinner, Harry was telling them about their games on the pitch, and Sirius mouthed a thank you to Caroline, who nodded knowingly. She then thanked Harry for his generous gift to the infirmary, and tried to tell him that it was unnecessary. Harry smoothly disagreed with her, saying that she was being a gracious host and it was the least he could do to thank her. He was silently grateful to Sirius for the coaching, which kept him from sound like a stammering fool.

After dinner, Harry and Sirius went back to their rooms, and Sirius challenged him to a game of chess. Harry learned right away that he shouldn't have accepted, as Sirius soundly beat him six times in a row.

"Is there anything you can't do?" Harry demanded, grumbling.

Sirius laughed long and hard at that. After a few minutes, he wiped his eyes. "Do me a favor and ask Remus that when we see him in a few weeks."

Harry got a sly look on his face. "I take it there are some stories he could tell me?"

Sirius froze. "No, you are forbidden from asking him!" he amended, smirking inwardly as Harry laughed.

There was a brief moment of awkwardness when he mentioned that they needed to start their Occlumency lesson, but they both got ready, and started casting cushioning charms at the same time.

Forty five minutes later, they finished a thankfully uneventful lesson, in which Harry was able to keep Sirius out three of the five times he'd tried.

* * *

Their days took on a pattern after that. There would be self study in the morning, then breakfast, followed by Potions. Harry kept making extra for the infirmary, keeping half for himself. Caroline had owled the school nurse, telling her not to stock up before coming back, explaining what was going on.

After Potions, Sirius would tutor Harry alternately in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Sirius was secretly relieved to see Harry struggling slightly with Arithmancy. The way Harry had been picking everything up so quickly, he was getting unnerved. It was good to see that Harry was still human. When Harry would get frustrated, Sirius would remind him that Remus was a better teacher, and would have time to help him before going back to school.

After these lessons, they would go to lunch, and then it was time for dueling. Harry was still leagues behind Sirius, but he was certainly getting better, starting to win a few of their duels, especially once Sirius reminded him that he wasn't going to break.

When they finished dueling, Sirius made time for something fun, not wanting Harry to crack under the pressure. They spent this time on the pitch, exploring the castle or the village, or going for a jog in the woods surrounding the castle. Harry was surprised to learn that these woods weren't forbidden like the Hogwarts forest, but students were actually encouraged to go for a hike. Of course, Harry thought wryly, they don't have a game keeper with a soft spot for dangerous pets. One day they went to the beach, and Sirius learned that Harry had never had swimming lessons. He rectified that, and by the end of the week, the two were having a blast swimming in the warm waters.

One day, Harry was reminded of the giant horses that the Beauxbatons students had arrived in when they found the stables. They had approached Rene about them, and she had gladly taken a day off to show them how to ride the wonderful Abraxans. It was a bit difficult at first, because of the sheer size of the animals, but after a while, it was found to be quite fun to ride around the vast land surrounding the school. It was nearly as fun as riding a broom, but Harry wasn't sure if he would go that far yet.

At dinner, the staff would inquire about their day, and Harry found that his French was improving by leaps and bounds. He wondered idly if Hermione spoke French, since she had visited a few years prior. He made a mental note to ask.

As soon as dinner was over, the two had some quiet time in their rooms. Harry would work on an essay or study for a quiz that Sirius set for him and work on his meditation. Then they would have an Occlumency lesson. Before the two went to bed, Sirius would tell Harry stories of his parents or the Marauders' school days. These were probably Harry's favorite time of day.

One day, Sirius cut their dueling time short, saying that he wanted them to work on portkeys. It took them a few hours; Sirius needing to remember how, and then to teach Harry. They tested them a few times, making sure that each one went to the proper place. Sirius had needed to help Harry quite a bit the first few times they did that, as Harry had experienced a panic attack, reminded of the Third Task. Not to mention, Harry finally learned how to land without falling down. Sirius made sure to drive home the point that portkeys were strictly regulated by the Ministry. While they couldn't tell when one was created or used, anyone caught making or using one without a permit faced the possibility of serious charges. It took Harry about three days of hard work before he was able to make portkeys as easily as Sirius.

* * *

On the morning of the 31st, Harry was surprised to find that he'd slept in, and he had a few gifts already on his bed. He hurried to get up and dressed, only to have Sirius come in as soon as he'd thrown on one of his robes.

Sirius grinned. "Happy birthday, pup," he said, giving the teen a tight hug.

"Thanks," Harry said with a grin back, plopping back down on the bed and reaching for his gifts. The twins had sent him a large box of their latest pranks with a note thanking him and mentioning they wanted to talk to him soon about his role in their business.

Sirius noticed the slightly flush. "What do the twins have to say?" he asked curiously.

Harry handed him the note as he placed the box on his desk, not wanting anything to blow up in his face this early in the morning.

Sirius looked at him strangely. "What's this about?"

Harry grinned at him. "I gave them my Tri Wizard winnings," he stated. Seeing Sirius's shocked look and interpreting it as disapproval, he hurried to explain himself. "I don't need it. I tried to give it to the Diggorys, but they wouldn't take it. So I gave it to the twins, since I have a feeling we'll be needing a few laughs now that Voldemort is back."

Sirius waved away the explanation, fighting the lump in his throat. "I think that was wonderful, Harry," he said meaningfully. "It was something your mum would have done without a second thought." He remembered times that Lily would do things like that for others. He forced his mind away from his memories of his almost-sister.

Harry flushed slightly at the praise, and busied himself by grabbing the next parcel, which was from Ron. It was a box of various sweets from Honeydukes with a note asking if he could make it to Diagon Alley before school started. Hermione had sent a book on famous seekers throughout history, and Harry smiled. It was just like her to send a book, but he could tell that she had put thought into this one. Harry was slightly surprised to find one from Remus. His eyes watered slightly as he opened the framed picture of James and Sirius with a few hours old Harry between them, twin expressions of pure joy. Harry handed the picture to Sirius, who mirrored Harry's reaction.

"I didn't know you were there that day," Harry whispered.

Sirius smiled sadly at him. "Of course I was. Remus couldn't make it until a few days later, since you were born the night before a full moon, and he didn't want to risk anything." Then he laughed. "I remember, though, having to forcefully shove calming draughts down your father's throat the whole time Lily was in labor. He kept freaking out, worried that he wasn't going to be a good father."

Harry surprised him by forcefully pulling him into a hug. "Thank you, Sirius," he whispered into the man's shoulder. Several weeks of eating right, and the two weeks of nutrition potions had given him a few inches, but he would always been on the shorter side.

Sirius held him tightly for a moment. "You haven't even opened my gifts yet," he teased lightly.

Harry discreetly wiped his eyes. "You didn't have to get me anything," he tried to protest, but knew it was useless.

Sirius laughed. "Well, I didn't spend any money, but something tells me that you'll like them more anyway."

Now Harry was curious. He took one of the gifts, and knew immediately that it was a book. Opening it, he found that it was **Discovering Your Inner Animal; **a book on the Animagus transformation. He stared up with wide eyes. "You think I'm ready?" he demanded, stroking the book reverently.

"Well, I was your age when I completed it, so yeah, you're ready," he reassured. Then he handed him a smaller wooden box. "This one is more of a hand me down gift from your dad," he said quietly.

Harry's hands shook as he accepted it. He opened the lid, surprised when something gold flew out. Instinctively, he reached out and snatched it from the air. Taking a closer look now that it wasn't moving, he gaped, looking from it to his godfather. "This…dad…his….?"

Sirius nodded, understanding the reaction and not teasing him for it. "Yeah, that was your dad's old snitch. He used to carry it everywhere with him. He played Chaser for the team, but was a reserve seeker, and practiced with it all the time."

The words were barely out of his mouth before he was given the strongest hug yet from the teen. The two stayed like that for quite a while, until Sirius pulled back, saying that they should get to breakfast. Harry nodded and gently placed the Snitch back into the box. "You were right, I like these more than anything you could have bought."

Sirius smiled at him. As soon as they walked into the dining hall, Harry was greeted to a round of Happy Birthday in French, and a lot of well wishes from the staff. Harry's face was burning, but he thanked each of them.

When they got to the Potions classroom, Sirius had him open the animagus book.

The first thing Harry noticed was the writing in the margins, and he realized that it was the one that James and Sirius had used when they were his age. Turning the page, he found a recipe for a potion. Skimming the introduction, he realized that if you took the potion, you found what your form was.

"The potion needs to brew for most of the day. You'll take it before bed tonight, and then you'll find out what your form is."

Harry was excited as he prepared the ingredients. "I can't wait to find out what I'll be," he said quickly.

"Honestly, it could be anything," Sirius admitted. "You could have wings since you're a natural flyer, you're as sneaky as a snake, but you also have a lot of strength to be a jungle cat. Or you could be a bug, who knows," he teased.

"Oi, I have nothing in common with Skeeter!" Harry yelled laughing.

"Huh?" Sirius asked, confused.

"Rita Skeeter, writer for the Prophet?" Harry started, and Sirius nodded. "She's also an unregistered Animagus. Hermione told me on the train ride home that she turns into a beetle, which is how she gets all of her stories, by listening in on everyone where they can't see her."

Sirius shuddered. "Well, here's to you not being a bug, then."

It took two hours to brew the potion, and it needed to simmer for ten, then cool for half an hour. Harry needed help in a few places, and Sirius gave him the advice, and soon enough, all they could do was wait.

Sirius tried to give Harry the day off of studying, but Harry insisted on an Ancient Runes lesson, so they went to the library, and stayed until lunchtime. Sirius was waiting for another few days to say something, but if Harry kept at the rate he was going, they would finish the third year material for Runes pretty soon.

Lunch was a fairly simple affair compared to breakfast, and Harry was content to sit back and listen to the chatter around him. If asked earlier in the summer how he would feel spending a few weeks with all women except for Sirius, he wasn't sure what his reaction would have been. However, he found that these women were nothing like Lavender and Pavarti. They were professionals, and Harry actually was learning a lot about various subjects, not just learning the language.

Following lunch, the two went to the dueling chamber, and chose a meadow this time. Harry was still in a good mood from the day, and it kept his mind clear as they traded hexes and spells back and forth. If there was one good thing about the duels, it was that Harry was getting in shape. He'd learned from the graveyard that it was a lot easier to dodge spells or use objects as cover rather than rely on a magical shield to protect you, so he kept running, leaping, and dodging the spells.

Harry tried to sneak up behind his godfather, only to find himself suddenly air born, landing with a thud a few yards away and his wand two feet from his hand. Hearing Sirius raising his wand, Harry desperately stuck out his hand and yelled the first spell to come to mind. "Accio!" he yelled, and his wand flew into his hand, and he swung it in an arc towards Sirius and cast a quick Stunning spell. It was only then that what he'd just done hit him. He had done wandless magic. According to Sirius, it wasn't his first time, but the first time he'd done so outside of Occlumency lessons. He hurried over to revive the older wizard, then sat back slightly.

Sirius sat up quickly once he was aware again. The two sat in silence for a moment, until Sirius spoke. "That's the second time you've done wandless magic in front of me," he mentioned.

Harry nodded. "It was strange," he found himself saying. "I felt a rush of magic leaving me, something I've never felt with a wand."

Sirius considered. "You could have a proficiency for wandless magic. I've certainly never come across anyone who could do what you've done just now, much less this summer."

Harry looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean, this summer?" he asked.

Sirius gaped at him. "You don't realize how incredible it is to become so proficient at so much magic in such a short time period? The speed that you've been picking everything up is astounding!"

"Really?" Harry asked, incredulous. "Most of it was just relearning, though," he protested.

Sirius scoffed lightly. "Harry, I'm not talking about your core subjects, though you have been doing that remarkably well. I'm talking about Runes, Occlumency, Potions, dueling. All of these, not to mention French, you have taken completely in stride, barely even stumbling over roadblocks," he said, slipping into a Muggle phrase.

Harry continued to stare at him. "I think the way you teach Runes and French has a lot more to do with my success than anything I do," he said, refusing to believe his godfather. "Potions, I don't know, I guess the fact that I finally understand the basics makes it a lot easier, and I've been decent at DADA for a while now, which would explain the dueling. But I thought I was really behind in Occlumency," he said, brow furrowed in confusion.

Sirius once again wanted to curse Harry's infernal relatives. He knew that his lack of self confidence was more their doing than anyone else's. "Harry, you are good at these things because you are a smart, powerful wizard. Some people have studied Occlumency for years before getting to where you are right now. Yes, you have a long way to go to measure up to someone like Voldemort or Dumbledore, but you are catching on fast."

Harry just shook his head, refusing to accept it. "So, you think I could learn to do magic without a wand?" he asked, going back to the original topic.

Sirius sighed, vowing to return to the topic later. "Yes. If it had just been once, during a fight for your life, it may have been written off as accidental magic. But I have seen you use it twice so far, which suggests you have an aptitude for it. We'll add that to the list of things to work on before we leave."

The two stood, getting ready to start again. "How much longer can we stay?" Harry asked curiously.

"Only another week," he said regretfully. "We still have to get back to Britain, and I'm sure you want to go to Diagon Alley with your friends before school starts." Harry just nodded, and got into position.

By the time they were finished, Harry had used wandless magic once more, and both were even more amazed. Right now, adrenalin seemed to be the key, as the first was in a desperate fight over a memory, and the other two were during a duel.

They went back to the lab to check on the potion, and found that it was coming along quite well. After that, they decided to go flying, and Harry brought out the Snitch, whooping with glee as he caught it again and again. They had another few games switching up Chaser and Keeper before going in for dinner.

Harry was amazed when they got into the dining hall. It seemed that a certain meddling godfather had mentioned Harry's favorites, because they were all set out. He gave a mock glare to said godfather, who just smirked in response. They all dug in with relish, finishing off with Harry's favorite treacle fudge.

After dinner, Harry wrote back his friends thanking them for the gifts, and letting them know that he'd be back in about two weeks. Part of him was disappointed at the idea of leaving. France was really a beautiful place, and he was enjoying his time with Sirius, getting a chance to know him more than he'd ever though he would. However, he also missed his friends and the castle.

Sirius gave him a quick Occlumency lesson, and was impressed that Harry kept him out four out of five times now. The last time he'd broken through, he knew was partly because of the excitement of going back and getting the potion.

Sure enough, Harry hurried to leave the rooms with Sirius, and they took the cauldron off the fire, giving it time to cool. They now had half an hour to wait, so Sirius passed the time by telling him stories of James and Lily.

Harry was howling with laughter at his dad's attempt at a Valentine's day for his mum in seventh year. The teen then chose to tell Sirius about the musical valentine that he'd gotten in second year, and then Sirius was the one clutching his stomach in mirth.

"Did you ever find out who sent it?" he asked, still chuckling.

Harry smiled. "I think it was Ginny, since she had a huge crush on the Boy Who Lived that year."

Sirius's laughter died down a bit. "Why do you do that?" he asked curiously.

Harry just looked at him in bewilderment. "Do what?"

"When you mention that ridiculous title, you make it sound like someone else," he explained.

Harry nodded at him. "That's because it is someone else, Sirius," he said sadly. "I never realized until I was in Hogwarts how much people idolized the boy who defeated Voldemort. They had this notion of who I was and what I was like before I even knew I was a wizard. I'm not that person, I don't live up to their ideals. The Boy Who Lived is an image, nothing more. It's one that I won't be able to fill."

For the millionth time, Sirius felt his heart break for his godson. He had been expected to fill a certain role in the Wizarding world since he was a year old, but didn't know about anything until he was eleven. Harry was right, the Boy Who Lived is an ideal, and no one should have that expectation hanging over their heads, because if he doesn't live up to it, he'll feel he disappointed everyone. There were no words for that moment, so he simply squeezed his godson's shoulder in commiseration.

Looking up, they realized the potion was ready, so Harry hurried to ladle it into a vial as Sirius cleaned the station. They went back to their rooms, and Sirius made sure that Harry was comfortable before giving him the potion.

"Be sure to tell me all about it in the morning, pup," he whispered, and kissed him lightly on his messy mop. "Sleep well."

"You, too, Sirius," Harry said, and he downed the potion in a gulp, slumping down onto his pillows without another blink.

* * *

**Does this count as a cliffie? Not sure, though probably :-)**


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter is going to have my thoughts on the Animagus transformation, which I know has been used by a lot of authors, but is always different. Given how long it took James and Sirius to complete it, and they were nearly the top of their class, I wanted to give a reason for it to take so long.  
**

**Warning: some violence at the end of this update  
**

* * *

_Stalking through the forest, he looked around, confused. In addition to his sight being off, something felt...wrong, somehow. He wasn't sure what it was, but he felt...lonely. As for his sight, it only took a moment for him to realize that everything was black and white. But the _smells!_ Harry was sure he'd never smelt so much in his life as he did now. Looking down, he saw dark grey fur covering his four legs, and he felt a tail swishing behind him._

Well,_ Harry thought,_ that cuts out the bug theory_. Suddenly, he caught sent of something delicious, and felt the instinct to feed overtake him. Taking a bounding leap, he hurtled through the forest, chasing after the rabbit that was trying to evade him. Just as he was about to pounce, he noticed a small pool of water next to him, and caught sight of his reflection._

_He was a wolf! He'd kept his green eyes, but the rest of him was dark grey except for a marginally lighter patch on his forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt. Thankfully, it wasn't very obvious unless you were looking for it. He looked up and saw the moon through the trees, light streaming down. Suddenly, the feeling that something wasn't right intensified. He raised his head and howled, realizing that his pack wasn't there. He continued to howl until some of the moonlight got into his eyes, and he jerked back._

* * *

Harry shot up in the bed to find Sirius sitting at his desk reading a book, and a plate of food untouched next to him. The 'moonlight' from his dream was actually the sunlight shining on his bed that had woken him.

"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed, setting the book down. "You missed breakfast," he explained, handing Harry the plate that was piled high.

The teen dug into the plate, the food smelling nearly as good as the rabbit had. "Thanks. I didn't realize I was out for so long!" Looking out the window, he could tell that breakfast had been about two hours earlier.

Sirius grinned at him. "Yeah, I forgot to mention that part. I'm actually surprised you're up already. James and I slept until after lunch the next day." Peter had as well, but he purposefully left the rat out of any and all stories that he told to Harry.

Harry just grinned at him and continued to eat in silence.

Finally, it got to be too much for his godfather. "Well?" he demanded. "What's your form?"

Harry laughed. "What, you don't want to guess?" he pouted.

"Don't try that look with me, Harry James," Sirius warned, but his eyes were dancing. "Out with it!"

Harry smiled again at him, but decided to be merciful. "I'm a wolf," he said, enjoying the look of excitement on Sirius's face. "I'm dark grey all over, except I've kept mum's eyes, and I still have the blasted scar, though you can barely see it."

Sirius was nearly bouncing in his seat. "A wolf? That's awesome. I guess I really can call you pup, now can't I?" he asked.

Harry laughed at that. "Yeah, I guess you can. Do you think we can get a book on wolves?" he asked suddenly. "I'd like to know more about my, um, alter ego before I fully transform."

Sirius laughed. "Of course, that's what you're supposed to do. It especially helps with the transformation, but you're a ways off, I think. It took your dad and I months to manage the full transformation, and a lot of practice to be able to shift back and forth. Now, we didn't have a teacher to help us, and you do. Not to mention, the way you described feeling you magic yesterday when you cast wandlessly? It's hard to describe, but it's very similar to the transformation."

Harry frowned slightly, losing a bit of excitement. "It's a shame, because I really want you to be there when I make the full transformation. Actually, I think I will need you to be there."

Sirius looked at him. "What do you mean?"

Harry thought about how to describe it. "Well, wolves are pack animals, right?"

Sirius face palmed. "Of course. I hadn't even thought about that. Some help I am, huh?" he joked, but inside he was thrilled. For Harry to already have alluded to the fact that he saw Sirius as part of his pack made him feel better than he had in years. "We'll figure something out. Who knows, if you practice hard, you may have it down by Christmas, and we can go on a run together."

Harry beamed at that. "So, what's the schedule for today?" he asked, setting aside his now empty plate and got out of bed, looking for his shower things. "Well, I guess it's more like: What's the schedule now that we have another thing to add?"

"That's up to you. The only thing we can't cut out of our days is Occlumency, but that's not until after dinner anyway. We can move things around, or cut some out entirely. That's your choice."

Harry chewed on his lip as he thought about it. "I still want to do Potions. It's my way of thanking Caroline and also knowing that I can stick it to Snape on the first Potions class."

Sirius laughed hard at that. "That's spoken like a Marauder's pup," he said. "Alright, so Potions stays. There's Runes, dueling, and fun time."

"We'll cut into fun time, since this is going to be a blast. You mentioned that the wandless magic would help. Can we spend some of the dueling time working on that, since it might make the transformation easier?" he asked.

Sirius thought about that and nodded. "It won't be all fun at the beginning," he warned. "You'll probably get a bit frustrated, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Just remember to let me know if you need a break. What about Runes?"

Harry considered that. "We've been spending two and a half hours a day on it? Let's cut that down to an hour a day, which will give me time to read the book you gave me."

Sirius grinned. "Sounds like a plan."

Harry took a shower and got dressed for the day. Then he gathered a couple potions books as well as his Runes book and notebook, and they set off for the lab. Harry went to his usual station, and started flipping through the books, wondering what to start on. For a while now, he'd been doing a simple potion at the same time as a more complicated one. He'd finished all the potions in his first year book, even writing in the margins a few improvements he'd found, such as when and how to stir, mincing instead of dicing, that sort of thing. He opened his fourth year book and flipped through it, looking for something to make. He decided to work a bit on antidotes to common poisons. While it was simmering, he also started a salve for cuts and scrapes. It was a third year potion, but he figured it would be okay.

The antidote finished first, and he set it aside to cool, and turned back to his salve. Then he realized he'd forgotten to add in the eye of newt, which he was supposed to do two steps ago.

"Sirius?" he called, nervous. It was the first time in a few weeks he'd made a mistake brewing, and he was having flashbacks of Snape standing over his cauldron yelling at him.

Sirius had been sitting off to the side reading a book, and he looked up, and seeing Harry's nervousness, set the book aside and came over. "What's up?" he asked, looking into the cauldron.

"I forgot to add the eye of newt. You think I'll have to start over?" he asked, chewing his lip.

Sirius could tell what it had cost Harry just to ask, and vowed to hex his former school rival for his teaching methods. "Let me guess, you mess up in Potions, Snape vanishes it and you get a 0?"

"Right in one," Harry tried to laugh.

"Well, now I understand why you said the class is mostly self taught. There are very few potions that need to be vanished if you miss a step or two. Now, let's talk this through, what does eye of newt do for your potion?" he asked calmly, talking in what Harry had begun to think of as his 'teacher' voice.

Harry talked it through, stating what eye of newt did, what the potion had been doing without it, and Sirius prodded him into guessing how to fix it.

Twenty minutes later, Harry took the cauldron off the flame, and turned to his antidote, ladling it out. "That was brilliant, Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. "I've never been able to think of it like that, how you can counteract one thing with another, so that even if you mess up, it's still salvageable."

Sirius smiled at him, helping divide up the vials and place half in a bag to go to Renee, and he'd already written down the ingredients for her. "That's because you've never had a halfway decent teacher. To be honest, I was awful at Potions until my fifth year when I begged Lily to help me. She had the patience of a saint, your mum, I swear it. Except," Sirius laughed, "for a few things. You dad was one thing, since she was losing it, being asked out five times a day. Pranks during exam week were another, since she took her studies very seriously. Then there were the bigots. If there's one thing your mother couldn't stand, it was bigots."

Harry nodded. He could see why his mom hated people with prejudices, since she was a Muggle born. He turned and started bottling the salve as well. "Well, however you learned, I appreciate it."

Sirius took the two bags and parchment while Harry went to the library. Sirius joined him after dropping off the potions, and they started on their Runes lesson. At the end, Harry was surprised to see that they were almost finished with the book, and wondered how close he was to finishing the third year material.

After the Runes lesson, they went back to their rooms, and Harry pulled out the Animagus book, sitting down at his desk. Sirius told him that he would just be in his rooms if there were any questions.

As Harry read through the book, he found himself fascinated. It was no wonder people wanted to learn this, it was amazing! A small part of him started to get excited as he realized something. A good amount of mastering the transformation is your magical core, yes, but in order to really get it, you had to spend a lot of time meditating, trying to will your body into becoming the animal. After all of his Occlumency lessons, he'd been spending a lot of time in meditation, and was finding it easier each time.

Sirius came in when it was time for lunch, and Harry reluctantly put down the book. After lunch, they went to the dueling room, and Harry surprised both of them by winning two out of the four battles. Sirius joked that he wasn't at the level he'd been as an Auror, but he was truly impressed. They stopped sooner than usual to practice wandless magic.

Harry was getting frustrated, though. They chose to work on the first year spells he did best, which were Charms. He tried for half an hour to levitate the pebble Sirius had brought, but it wouldn't budge. Harry finally lost his temper and screamed the spell, causing it to shoot up and bounce off the ceiling.

Sirius tried to stifle his laughter. "Having some issues?" he asked. He knew that the fact that the pebble had moved without him holding the wand was great, but the irritated look on Harry's face amused him, for some reason.

Harry made a face at Sirius, and he pulled out his wand to Summon the pebble back. He had an idea, and levitated it a few times with his wand, focusing not on the spell itself, but how it felt, which was something he never focused on. His Animagus book had spoken in depth about a person's magical core, and how you can feel your magic welling up inside of you, and that was what he'd felt. Placing his wand back into his pocket, he focused again on that feeling. This time, the pebble rose just as steadily, and he held it there for a few moments.

Sirius stared at him. This amount of control was amazing. He let Harry levitate the stone another few times, but then stopped him. The two went back to their rooms and sat down. Sirius talked him through the complicated matter of finding his wolf form inside of him.

The reason it took so long for most people to learn was that you had to understand the muscles, bones, veins, fur… basically everything about the physical form as well as you did the human form, which you had to learn more about during the process in order to transform back. The first step nearly everyone used was the fur, as it was the simplest, and the easiest to understand. Sirius explained about going into a deep meditative trance in an effort to pull their magic along their skin, transforming it to fur.

Harry nodded, understanding what was explained. Sirius left him to it, and Harry leaned back slightly, closing his eyes, and going into his meditative state. He'd been doing it for weeks, so it wasn't that hard. But this time, he didn't spend time on his memories or his shields, but instead focused on the image of his wolf. He tried to remember how the fur felt: heavy, smooth, shaggy, and keeping in mind the color as well, he fixed on that image, thinking about what it would feel like. He thought about his wandless magic earlier that day, and what the feeling was, trying to pull it up, to cover himself in it. It was more frustrating than he would have thought. The magic was confused, not understanding what he wanted, and it fought his control. He kept trying to focus on both the fur and the magic, but it was slow going. But he kept at it.

Sirius wished there was more he could do, remembering how the beginning of the transformation process was the most discouraging. But everything was your own will power and magical strength. Then Sirius laughed. If Harry had nothing else, he definitely had both of those. Looking at the time, he realized that it was nearly time for dinner, so he went into Harry's room to let him know. When he got in there, he nearly screamed.

Harry's hands and arms up to his elbows were, while still human shaped, covered in thick, shaggy fur. Sirius stared at it. There was no way. It had taken him and James two weeks of work to get to this point!

Swallowing a few times, he went over to the teen. "Harry?" he called.

Harry jerked at the unexpected touch, and he opened his eyes. "Sirius, hey, is it time for dinner?" he asked, not having felt the fur just yet.

Sirius laughed. "Sure, but uh, you might want to take care of that first," he said, pointing at Harry's hands.

Harry looked at his arms, and fell off the chair in shock. Sirius was now doubled over laughing. "Fine, laugh it up," Harry grumbled as he righted himself, face burning. He ran his hands over the fur, feeling the texture, and memorizing every detail. "So, how do I get rid of this?" he asked.

Sirius decided to take mercy on the poor kid. "Close your eyes and focus on how your hands feel normally. Think about the skin, how it feels and how it looks, then run your magic up to your skin."

That was easier said than done, though. It took Harry another five minutes to change back to normal. Sirius, though, was still staring at him in amazement. It had taken James an hour to do that, and it took Sirius almost two hours.

"You ready?" Harry asked, not realizing anything was off.

Sirius just nodded. He would mention it later. The two made their way to the dining hall for dinner, and Harry found he was hungrier than he'd thought. He ate quite a bit, which Sirius encouraged. He still hadn't forgotten how starved the kid was only a few weeks ago.

After they left the dining hall, Harry realized how exhausted he felt. Sirius noticed it as well, and told Harry they would just have a short Occlumency lesson and then call it a night. Harry agreed and spent a few minutes going over his mental shield, trying to reinforce any weaknesses he saw. He managed to keep Sirius out two of the three times he tried. The last one, he simply couldn't keep the shield up any longer.

Sirius pulled out in the middle of a memory of Snape threatening Harry with Veritaserum. He took one glance at Harry. "Bed," he ordered with a small smile.

Harry just nodded, and went to give him a hug. "Thanks for today," he said.

Sirius hugged him back and mussed his hair. "Not a problem, kid. Get some rest, I'll see you in the morning."

Once Harry was out of his room, he sat on the bed, thinking hard. He ran through all the memories he had seen of Harry's and was noticing an alarming trend. So far, very few adults have ever given Harry a reason to trust them: Snape, McGonagall, Lockhart, two of his professors that turned out to be Death Eaters, the Dursleys, even Dumbledore himself on occasion.

It was no wonder the kid was so independent and self reliant. Who else had he been able to count on his whole life? What he was surprised about was how soon Harry had trusted him, not having been part of his life for so long. All he knew was that he would do anything to keep that trust.

* * *

The rest of the week passed far too quickly for the two wizards. They kept with their usual schedule, and Harry realized how much had changed for him since their arrival. By now, he could cover his entire body in fur, which was a rather bizarre feeling. Sirius had been shocked speechless for a full five minutes when he'd seen. It took him a record fifteen minutes to return to his original form. He had finished the third year material for Runes and was already making his way through fourth year. He wasn't doing quite as well in Arithmancy, but he kept at it. He also had finished every potion for first through fourth years and made quite the stockpile, both for himself and for the Beauxbatons infirmary. He was still beaten more often than not in dueling, but knew a lot more spells now. He also managed to learn quite a few spells wandlessly. In Occlumency, Sirius only managed to break his shield twice more the entire week.

Harry explained that all the time in meditation for his Animagus form gave him a lot of time to perfect his shields. He had also been reading more in his Occlumency book, and he had also been working on something else. He'd found that if you create individual shields around groupings of memories, it was another layer of protection that a Legilimens had to fight through. He spent two days working on this extra protection, and he had a request to make of Sirius.

It was the last night in the castle; they were leaving to go back to England in the morning after breakfast. The two had just gotten back to their rooms, and Harry looked a bit nervous.

"What's up?" Sirius asked.

"Well, I've been thinking lately," Harry started.

"Uh oh," Sirius teased. "What harebrained scheme is it this time?"

"Oh hush," Harry laughed. "No, I've just been thinking about this connection I might have with Voldemort. Now, when we practice, you always give me a heads up, and I always know when you are going to do it. But Voldemort isn't going to give me a warning, is he?" Harry asked.

Sirius nodded slowly, wondering where this was going. "No, that doesn't really seem like him," he answered.

"Right, so I was wondering if we could both just hang out in here tonight, and you cast the spell at random times. I'd like to see if that makes a difference for me."

Sirius was impressed. If he was being honest with himself, he hadn't even thought of that. He also probably wouldn't have the guts to ask anyone to randomly break into his own mind. He nodded slowly. "That is actually a great idea. You sure you're up for it?" At Harry's vigorous nod, he continued. "All right, go bring your books in here."

Ten minutes later, Harry was finishing up his Runes homework for Sirius, and was about to grab his History book as it was the only summer essay he hadn't finished, when he felt the familiar presence in his mind. His outer shield was breached, but Sirius seemed to be confused by what he saw. He appeared to be looking at the wall of a bank, with multiple safety deposit boxes, each with a lock on it. Harry took advantage of the distraction to push him back out.

Sirius came back to himself, and stared at Harry. "What was that?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "I read about it in one of the books you bought. Categorizing your memories and then giving them their own shields gives you even more protection. If I'm not expecting an attack, there's now less of a chance of someone seeing something before I can kick them out. I though about what I might consider to be 'protected', and used that."

Sirius nodded. How the kid found the time to do all of this and still sleep was beyond him. "Sounds smart. You finished?" he asked, holding a hand out for the assignment.

Harry handed it to him. "Yeah, I just have History left, and I'm almost done with it."

Sirius just nodded at him, and started grading the homework. By the end of the night, he'd broken into Harry's mind five out of the six times he tried, and it was only the last one that Harry was able to repel him before he'd broken the shield. Sirius sent him to bed shortly after that; they were both tired, and they needed to rest for their trip.

* * *

Harry woke the next morning two hours before breakfast, and made sure everything was packed. He had been really worried about transporting all the potions he had made during his stay, but Sirius had told him to just keep it in his trunk for now, that they had to go to the village anyway to get Sirius's rental car, and they would grab a bag there.

Harry double checked his knapsack for everything he needed to keep with him. There was his emergency portkey and his Heir ring, both of which he put on right away, his Cloak, the Map, the two way mirror, and two books: the fourth year Runes, and **Discovering your Inner Animal.** The rest of his books and his photo album were safely tucked away in his trunk. Feeling a little jittery, he grabbed his school essays and went over them. He knew that they were much higher quality than he'd written in the past, and he nodded to himself as he checked them over. He didn't know why he was so nervous, since school didn't start for another three weeks.

When the two were ready, they made their way to the dining hall. Harry was surprised to see two unfamiliar faces. Caroline introduced them as Madames Duval and Belrose, the Potions teacher and nurse respectively.

Harry and Sirius bowed slightly and introduced themselves. Everyone sat down and started eating; Harry was being quizzed by the two new faces about his summer thus far. When they found that he was the one that had stocked the infirmary, they stared at him in shock, having expected it to be Sirius.

Caroline laughed and said that it really had been Harry. As soon as breakfast was finished, Madame Duval pulled out a gift bag and handed it to Harry. She said that she and Madame Belrose had bought it for whoever had helped with the infirmary, and they were glad they could give it to him before he left.

Harry exchanged a bemused look with Sirius, and pulled out a black leather Potions satchel. Madame Duval explained that it could unfold so that you could see what was in it, and it had an undetectable extension charm on it, so he could carry however many potions he wanted to in it.

Harry stared for a moment before he collected himself. He thanked both women for the generous gift. Harry and Sirius began their rounds, saying good bye to each witch that was there, and finally got to Caroline, who surprised them by holding two wrapped packages. She handed one to each of them.

Sirius opened his first, and barked a laugh. It was a Muggle book he'd heard of called **The Count of Monte Cristo**. As it involved an escaped convict, he found it fitting.

Harry opened his and was again stunned. It was also a book called **Being Lupine**. He flipped through it a few times, and realized it was everything he needed for his transformations.

They both thanked her profusely for the gifts and the hospitality. She reminded them that the two schools were now allies, and they were only a Floo call away if needed. The two bowed to her again and left.

As soon as they got to the rental car, Harry opened his trunk, and put the potions into the satchel. He could see why it was great for Potions Masters, as it kept everything organized.

They packed the car, and started off back home.

Each day while in the car, they would alternate between talking and laughing, or Harry studying. Harry had laughed and told him that he'd done more studying in the last month than in his entire life.

They would stop around dinner time and find a hotel, and Sirius would take the evening to probe Harry's mind, finding it more and more difficult, no matter how unexpected he was. Harry also spent time working on his wolf form. After two days on the road, he nearly gave Sirius a heart attack by transforming his hands fully into paws.

"You realize what you just did took me and James about three months?" he asked weakly.

Harry stared at him, then focused on turning his hands back. He was getting faster at changing back, finding it easier than changing anything to wolf. "Really?" he asked.

Sirius nodded. "I've never heard of someone getting it so fast."

Harry thought about that. "Well, it could be the fact that I can do wandless magic," he theorized. "That, and all of the meditation I've already done for the Occlumency."

Sirius nodded again. "That has to be it. I'm so proud of you," he said meaningfully.

Harry blushed. "I wouldn't have been able to do any of it without your help."

The older wizard sighed. He was determined that Harry would one day be able to accept a compliment.

In four days, they were back in Britain. During the drive to the next hotel, Harry kept reading **Being Lupine**, finding it fascinating. Harry hated that he couldn't do magic for another two weeks. So Harry kept his nose in the books, hoping that would take the edge off of his irritation.

They had just stopped at their last hotel. Sirius said that Remus' house was only another few hours' drive away, but he wasn't comfortable driving so late at night, now that they were back in Britain. They were both appalled to read the Prophet for the first time since they'd left, finding that there wasn't a single word about Voldemort and the Death Eaters, nothing about the war. They did, however, find some cleverly concealed slurs against Dumbledore. Sirius concluded that Fudge must be trying to keep anything quiet, and that Voldemort was lying low, trying to get followers.

When it was time for dinner, they decided to go to a little pub that was down the road from the hotel. Since it was a Muggle neighborhood, they were dressed in Muggle clothes, and Harry placed his wand in his pocket and his knapsack over his shoulder.

They were crossing through a dark alley, and suddenly they were surrounded by five men in robes.

Sirius was the first to react. "Wand!" he yelled to Harry, pulling his own out and sending spells out at the Death Eaters.

Harry was already reacting, pulling his own wand out, and ducked two Stunners. He transfigured a newspaper on the ground into a shard of metal and banished it to one of them, who cursed when it flew through his shield and cut his arm.

Suddenly, all the years melted away for Sirius. The years in Azkaban never happened; he was an Auror and had a job to do. "Keep your back to mine," he ordered Harry. He wished he could send the kid far away from this, but there was no way to do that. He was grateful for the hours spent dueling with Harry the past few weeks, because they were able to read each other extremely well.

They had only been able to knock out two of their five opponents, when Sirius's heart stopped when he heard two of the voices call out "Crucio!" and Harry fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

Sirius yelled, and fought his current opponent with everything he had, desperate to get the two curses off his godson at any cost. His shock hit a new high when the screaming stopped and he heard a weak voice bellow "Stupefy!"

He shot an Incarcerous at his opponent, and saw that neither Death Eater was out, but the spell had broken both of their concentrations and made them a bit woozy. But one recovered enough to send a bone breaking hex at Sirius, who fell with a cry, clutching his leg. He reacted fast enough to stun that one, but the other had grabbed Harry around the neck from behind.

"Say goodbye to your dear godfather," a familiar voice taunted, and he Disapperated with Harry.

"NO!" Sirius roared. His godson was gone, he'd been kidnapped by Death Eaters! Growling, pain almost forgotten until he tried to stand, he grabbed his emergency portkey, and snarled, "Safety." If only he'd remembered it earlier!

The familiar jerking pulled him away, and he landed in Remus' living room

"What the bloody hell?" Remus yelled, coming into the room, and found his best friend pale and shaking, clutching his leg. "Sirius!" he cried, falling to his knees next to him.

"Don't worry about me," he snapped. "Get Dumbledore now! Harry's been abducted."

Remus stared at him for a split second, then stumbled over to the fireplace and threw Floo Powder into it. "Albus, need you now, it's an emergency!" he yelled.

A moment later, a worried looking Albus walked into the room, and saw Sirius now gritting his teeth in pain.

"What happened?" he asked quickly.

"Harry's been taken by Death Eaters," Sirius said bluntly. "We were about to grab dinner and were surrounded by five Death Eaters. Four are bound and unconscious in an alley, but the last one Disapperated with Harry."

Albus thought fast. "Remus, contact Tonks and Kingsley, tell them to round up the Death Eaters before they wake up. I'm going to talk to Severus, tell him to find out what he can." He looked back at Sirius. "We'll find him, I promise you that, Sirius. I'll send Poppy in to look at you as soon as I can." With that, he departed, and Remus was at the fireplace again, contacting Kingsley. A few minutes later, he came back to Sirius.

"Ferula," he muttered, pointing his wand at Sirius's leg, which was now splinted.

He gave his friend a grateful look, though it was brief. "Thanks."

"What else can I do?" he practically begged.

Sirius thought for a moment. "Would you go back to the hotel and get our things?" he asked quietly. "When Harry gets back," he paused and cleared his throat. "When Harry gets back, he'll want his things." He told him which hotel it was, where their trunks and bags were, and the best place to Apperate. "It's a Muggle hotel, so be careful," he warned.

Remus nodded and clasped his friend on his shoulder. "I'll be back soon," he promised. With that, he too left.

Sirius was left alone, wondering how his life could turn upside down in less than an hour. An hour ago, he'd been with Harry, they'd been laughing about food and how hungry he'd been. Sirius felt a pang. Ever since he'd picked up Harry, the teen had never missed a meal. He knew he was being silly, worried about Harry not eating when he was probably… NO, he chastised himself. If he spent any amount of time thinking about what they were doing to him, he'd go officially insane.

He was alone for about ten minutes, when Remus appeared again, with both trunks, Sirius's small bag, and Harry's satchel. "I told the manager you two weren't spending the night there anymore, and he gave you a refund. I put the money in your bag," Remus said quietly.

Sirius just nodded at him. Then he pointed to the satchel. "Hand me that, will you?" he asked.

Remus grabbed it and handed it over, watching in amazement as Sirius opened it and quickly found a pain potion. "Where did you two get a fully stocked Potions bag?" he asked.

Sirius downed the pain potion, grateful that Harry had brewed more, so that there would be some for the teen when he came back. He leaned against the side of the couch with a sigh as the potion took away his pain. "We didn't buy it," Sirius told him. "The satchel itself was a gift to Harry, but he brewed everything in it."

Remus goggled at him. Harry hated brewing, and from the looks of what was in the bag, he must have been brewing every day for the entire summer! He held back his questions, though, knowing that this wasn't the time to ask them. Eventually, however, he did need to know one question. "Was he injured?" he whispered. "When the last one took him, had he been as injured as you?"

Sirius stiffened, remembering it with perfect clarity. "Two crucio's at once," he gritted out.

Remus sucked in a breath. "Then you…"

"No," he interrupted. "I was busy with another Death Eater. Somehow, Harry managed to cast a Stunning spell, which broke their concentration."

The werewolf gaped at him. "He did what? How can anyone fight through the Cruciatus?" he demanded. "I've never heard of something like that before."

Sirius gave a bitter chuckle. "You have no idea how many times I've had that same reaction the past few weeks." Then he sobered back to his former mix of worry and anger. "I have no idea how he did it, but he is extremely powerful."

Remus just nodded, and the two sat in silence for nearly an hour, when Poppy came through the Floo. "I've been told I have a patient?" she said briskly.

"Over here, Poppy," Sirius called.

She came into the room and looked at his leg, then turned to Remus. "I'm glad someone has an idea of healing spells."

Remus shook his head. "That's the extent of it, I'm afraid."

She just nodded. "Well, how did this happen?" she asked, running her wand over the break.

"Bone breaking hex," Sirius told her flatly. "I've already taken a pain potion, so go ahead."

That she did, with a simple wave and muttered incantation. The splint and bandages fell off, and his leg was good as new. She rummaged through her apron. "Would you like any more pain potions?" she asked.

Sirius just shook his head at her. "We've got enough," he muttered, and stood, testing the leg.

Poppy just shrugged. "As you like. Let me know if you need something else," she told them before Flooing out.

Sirius took a look at the clock. It was only 7:30? It felt so much later than that. He started pacing around the house, his mind hyper analyzing everything that he could have done differently during the fight. If he'd cast faster, or taken out the one that took Harry first, or if they had trained harder while at Beauxbatons…. the 'what ifs' were driving him insane. All he wanted right now was to hold his godson as tightly as he could and not let go. His arms were aching with that need.

At ten, Remus finally managed to get Sirius to eat something. He'd refused any food, but Remus reminded him that Harry would need him when he got back, and Sirius eventually caved.

At midnight, Remus joined Sirius in his pacing. He knew that telling Sirius to get some sleep would be moronic; he'd probably get punched for his efforts. They walked through the house, and then went outside and walked around the lands.

After another hour of complete silence had passed, they were back in the living room sitting on the couch, and Remus hesitantly pulled out a file. "I know you probably don't care right now, but I found your house," he said quietly, holding it out.

Sirius stared at it for a few moments, then reached out and took it. He flipped through the pictures and the descriptions. "It looks amazing," he admitted. "Harry's going to love it."

Remus nodded at him, and they lapsed back into silence.

At three, they were back to pacing the house, when the fireplace flared and Dumbledore stepped out. Sirius ran over.

"Have you heard anything?" he demanded hoarsely.

Dumbledore shook his head stiffly. "Not yet. Severus has gone to find out what he can, I expect we should know something soon. I told him to come straight here when he leaves."

Sirius slumped in disappointment. He should have known better than to get his hopes up. And what is Snape going to say when he gets back? 'Sorry, nothing I could do'?

At five in the morning, Remus was brewing yet another batch of coffee. Unlike many of their compatriots, Remus and Sirius both enjoyed the bitter liquid, and everyone could use the shot of caffeine. He had just handed a cup to Sirius and a cup of tea to Albus when the Floo flared, and Snape walked into the room.

Sirius shakily put the mug onto an end table, and forced himself to stand. "Well?" he asked.

Snape shook his head in bewilderment, a look that none present had seen him wear before. "The Dark Lord does not have him," he said.

There was complete silence for a few moments. The headmaster couldn't help but ask. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, Albus. If he had the brat, he would have been overjoyed, but he was in a towering rage. He had called a full meeting, not just his inner circle, and six were missing."

"Six?" Sirius asked. "But there were only five in the alley."

Snape shrugged. "I don't know, but he was furious that four of the low-level Death Eaters were missing, one from the inner circle, and a brand new recruit."

"Who from the inner circle?" Remus asked.

"Malfoy," came the answer.

Sirius smacked his own head. "I knew I recognized his voice," he muttered to himself. Then he looked back up. "Do you think that they kidnapped him and just haven't told him yet?"

"That would be a very foolish move," Snape said. "Then again, as long as he gets Potter in the end, he may not punish them too severely. Though, the ones who were arrested are in for a long night," he said, hand clenching around his left forearm.

Sirius just got up and walked to the window, watching the sun begin to rise. _Where are you, kiddo?_

* * *

***peeks out* If you kill me, I won't be able to update! Don't worry, like I said: I have a plan, and this is part of it. I'll try to update soon :-)  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here you go, and I promise there's no cliff hanger this time :-) Part of me was tempted to be mean and cut this one super short so that there was one, but you guys have been awesome, and I couldn't do that to you (another cliffie or just a short update)**

**Now, some may say that this has a weak Harry, but not really. Just consider what he's going through, and you'll find that even adults would have a hard time coping fully. Any and all reviews stating that he's acting childish will be fully laughed at.  
**

* * *

When Harry and his leech landed, Harry's wand was grabbed from him, and he was immediately thrown into a chair and bound with ropes.

"Well well, Mr. Potter," a silky voice sneered. "I have certainly been looking forward to this day for some time."

Harry was swallowing, trying to wet his suddenly dry throat. "Lucius Malfoy. I can't really say the same to you," he answered.

"Diffindo!" another voice said, and Harry hissed in pain as a slice appeared on his shoulder.

"You still haven't learned manners, have you, Potter?" a vaguely familiar voice asked from the shadows

"You're one to talk about manners," Harry snapped back. "Don't you Death Eaters have the decency to introduce yourselves before you start cursing?"

Malfoy threw his head back and laughed, and then nodded to the figure in the corner, who stepped forward. It was Marcus Flint.

"Flint?" Harry asked, shocked. He knew the former Slytherin, had played a few matches against him years ago.

"At your service," he smirked, and hesitated before sending another cutting curse at the younger boy.

Harry gritted his teeth as he felt his skin slice again. "So, what's the brilliant plan, here?" he demanded.

"What makes you think that we would tell you anything?" Malfoy asked, amused. Then he raised his own wand, pointing it at Harry's left arm. "Deprimo."

This time, Harry couldn't suppress a groan of pain, and bit his lip as his left ulna broke.

"Not bad, Potter" Flint said, sounding impressed. "Not going to scream for us?" Then he looked nervously at Malfoy, who just sent him a glare. "Crucio!" Flint yelled.

Harry tasted blood as he bit clean through his bottom lip to keep from yelling. He would crucio himself before he would give the bloody bastards the satisfaction. After an eternity, the pain ended, and Harry's head fell, panting. When no one spoke, he looked up, hate in his eyes. "Go to hell," he snarled.

"Sectumsempra!" Malfoy bellowed, watching in glee as deep gashes appeared on Harry's chest. Then he sighed in disappointment as he realized that Harry had passed out. He sent a spell to ensure that the boy did not bleed out, and the two left the room. After all, it was no fun to torture someone who was unconscious.

Harry's first thought when he woke back up was that he was in hell. His wrists and ankles burned, his arm was in agony, and his chest felt like he'd scrapped a cheese grater across it. Thinking about the emergency portkey he wore around his neck, he tried whispering the password, but nothing happened. Harry mentally shrugged even as his heart fell. He was pretty sure that you had to hold it in order for it to work, otherwise it was too easy to use accidentally.

Then he heard voices, and listened intently.

"Why aren't we calling the Dark Lord now?" Flint asked, sounding nervous.

"I told you, Potter has found a way escape him four times now. We don't want to risk it. But if we can deliver him so injured that he doesn't stand a chance…" Malfoy trailed off, sounding smug.

Harry fought the rage that was welling inside of him. He was here simply to be tortured, and then handed off to Voldemort? No, he would find a way out of this. He had to.

"Ah, Potter, you're awake!" Malfoy said, sounding pleased. "Such a lack of manners, passing out in the middle of a conversation."

"If those are the conversations you enjoy, I can see why no one enjoys your company," Harry snapped back, and wasn't surprised when another Deprimo was sent his way, breaking a few ribs.

"Do not test me," Malfoy whispered, furious.

"Why not when it's so easy?" Harry said recklessly, trying to breath shallowly to avoid undue pain in his ribs.

"Crucio!" Malfoy yelled, waiting nearly two minutes before he removed the curse.

"Come on, can't you be more creative?" Harry demanded, wiping blood off his mouth using his shoulder.

"Flint, he wants creative," Malfoy said, sounding amused.

Flint thought for a moment before raising his wand. "Tarantallegra," he said lazily.

Normally, he would have scoffed at the idea of using the dancing spell, but it was a bit more painful when your legs are firmly bound to a chair. Harry groaned in pain as his legs uncontrollably fought the bindings. It was only when a crack was heard, and Harry let out a scream through his clenched teeth, that he took the spell off.

Harry was panting again, fighting the unholy pain of yet another broken bone, then he looked back up. "Not bad, Flint," he gritted. "I see you have a few brain cells after all."

Malfoy smiled at Flint, and they pulled up a few chairs. "So, tell me, Potter. What were you and you dogfather doing at that hotel? I mean, rumor had it that you were staying in London for the summer."

Harry shook his head. He wasn't going to risk putting Lupin in danger. He hurried to hide that information behind his Occlumency shields, and reinforce as well as he could. "Well you see, we were travelling as Muggles. They have this thing called secret shoppers, and we were making sure the hotels accommodations were up to par."

Malfoy growled at him. "Legilimence!" he shouted.

Harry braced his shield against the battering ram. He knew that he'd been spoiled by Sirius, who was much gentler trying to get in, but they'd been practicing for weeks. Not to mention they'd spent almost a week of preparing him for an unexpected attack. He felt Malfoy attacking him multiple times, trying to get through his shield. After nearly half an hour of the relentless attack, Harry's shield broke.

Malfoy looked triumphant until he saw the multiple shields covering various memories. He had just started attacking one, when he felt himself thrown out. The force behind it was so strong, he felt himself thrown out of the chair he'd been in.

Harry was groaning in pain. He'd never had to hold his shield for that long. As soon as the presence was gone, he hurried to build his shield back up. He had barely done that when Malfoy stood and cast again.

The attack wasn't as strong this time, and after another half hour, Malfoy was furious. He cast fire spells at Harry, burning him several more times.

Harry spat blood out of his mouth from biting his tongue. His wrists and ankles had rope burns from fighting to get free. He wasn't sure what possessed him, but he lifted his head and glared at Malfoy. "That all you got?" he snarled.

Enraged, Malfoy screamed a spell that Harry couldn't hear, and Harry threw what little energy he had left into an attempt to dodge the curse. Thankfully, most of him was out of the way, and the curse flared across the left side of his neck. It was pain beyond anything he had ever felt before, and he was sure that this was what hell had to be. The white hot pain pulsed even harder, and his eyes rolled in the pain, falling unconscious once again.

When Harry woke for the second time, he was once again alone. He had no idea the amount of time he'd been out, but he could hear arguing coming from outside. For the first time, he looked around the room he was in. He could tell that it was a one room cabin of sorts, but it was abandoned and completely empty except for some trash strewn around on the ground. Harry ignored the raised voices this time, and focused on his predicament. He knew that if he didn't leave soon, he wouldn't live to see Voldemort again. He thought hard about what he could do, and when he realized it, he wanted to kick himself for not thinking of it earlier. Twisting his hands slightly to aim at the ropes binding him, he whispered, "Diffindo," and the ropes fell off. He hurried to do the same to his feet, and he was free. He tried to stand too quickly, forgetting about all his injuries, and crashed to the floor, alerting the two outside.

"Potter, how did you – " Malfoy bellowed, Flint following him inside.

Harry didn't bother trying to stand. He just raised his arm and cast three Stunning spells. Training with Sirius had taught him that it's better to cast more in case someone dodges one. Sure enough, Malfoy dodged one, Flint caught the second, and Malfoy finally fell to the third. Harry crawled over to them, and saw that his spells had been weakened by the amount of pain he was in, and they wouldn't be out long. He grabbed his wand back from Malfoy, making a mental note to clean it with boiling water before using it again. Leaning heavily on the side of the cabin for support, he painstakingly made his way outside, finding a small niche in the wall where he could stay for a moment, and grabbed the portkey at his neck, again whispering the word 'safety'. Nothing happened.

Harry cursed, realizing that they must have placed anti portkey wards around the area. He thought hard. He didn't know any healing spells, and if he tried to make it on foot, he wouldn't be able to get far before they overtook him. There was only one thing he could do: transform.

Harry had read about the dangers of people who tried to make the full Animagus transformation too early, and that had stopped him from trying it. People had ended up not fully understanding the respiratory system, and had asphyxiated; others had died of brain hemorrhaging, because they had not thought about the size of the animal's brain, and ended up trying to fit their normal size brain in a tiny space.

Reading those stories had kept him working the smaller things, such as paws, snout, or ears. However, right then, he was out of options. If he took off like he was right now, Malfoy would grab him when he woke up, as Harry didn't know how far the anti portkey wards extended, or how well Malfoy and Flint were knocked out. On the other hand, no one would think anything of a wolf walking around. He slid down the side of the cabin, closed his eyes, and tried to sink as deep into his magic as he could, keeping in mind everything about his wolf, grateful beyond words for spending so much time reading about their anatomy.

In less than two minutes, a dark grey wolf was laying where Harry had been. He left the cabin as quickly as he could. Running was a difficult process to understand, not helped by the jerking and shaking left over from the hours of torture. He couldn't focus on anything other than continuing to put one paw in front of the other as fast as he could.

He had been walking for some time when he saw the hotel that he and Sirius were supposed to stay the night at. Knowing that Sirius wouldn't want to be there alone, but would have gone straight on to Lupin's he took off in the direction Sirius had pointed to. He fell down every few steps he took, the pain becoming overwhelming. But he knew that if he stopped, he would be found.

He eventually saw a house about a mile or two away, but it was at that point that his body refused to take another step, and collapsed. He whined, trying to get back up, but it was useless, his body was jerking too much to allow him to move. He raised his head up slightly and howled as loud as he could. _Please, Sirius. Find me_, he thought, and howled again.

* * *

Snape and Dumbledore had left, Remus was dozing off at the table, and Sirius was still staring out the window. He felt a burning behind his eyes, but he was unsure if that was from being up for nearly 24 hours, or from the emotions he was holding at bay.

He was about to grab another cup of coffee when he heard a wolf howl in the distance. At first, he just shrugged it off, but then his head snapped back around. Wolves don't howl in the morning, they do so at night. Besides, the area was far too populated, with not nearly enough room for wolves to live. Another howl broke him out of his thoughts.

"There's no way in bleeding hell," Sirius whispered. Without thinking, he transformed into a dog and ran outside, barking twice. When he heard another howl in the distance, he took off, bounding across Remus' land. He skidded to a halt when he saw the body of a wolf laying on the ground, jerking.

He transformed back into a human, and cautiously walked over. He knew that the first few transformations were difficult, as you had to balance your mind with the instincts of the animal. But he knelt down by the head and saw the barely there scar. When he started rubbing his head, the startlingly green eyes stared haunted back at him.

"It's me, Harry," Sirius whispered, choking up as he saw the blood matted fur. "Can you transform back for me?" he asked, still rubbing the top of his head comfortingly. The wolf turned its head away, then back, and Sirius got the impression that Harry was shaking his head. "Alright, I can change you back, but it might hurt a little, is that okay?" he asked softly. Turning back to human after the first transformation was nearly as hard as turning into the animal, and it was not advised to be changed back by the spell, as it was something that you needed to learn. However, given the amount of concentration Harry would have needed to change back, Sirius knew that he really didn't have much of a choice.

Harry gave the equivalent of a wolf-snort and nodded his head once, bracing himself.

Sirius's hands were shaking as he pulled out his wand, and muttered the incantation. A moment later, his godson was laying there.

"Oh, God, it hurts," Harry moaned, hating how pathetic he sounded. "Help, it hurts so bad."

The tears were finally falling down Sirius's face as he saw the damage done to his godson, but he tried to snap back. He knew that there was no way he could walk back to the house, it was at least two miles. He grabbed Harry's hand, and the two held onto the emergency portkey still around Harry's neck, and Sirius whispered the activation word, the familiar jerking pulling them.

They landed in the same spot Sirius had been in hours before, and Sirius wasted no time picking him up and putting him on the couch.

"Remus!" he bellowed, and his friend's head snapped up, bewildered by the sight of Harry on the couch. "Get Poppy now!"

Remus stared for a moment, then stumbled to the fireplace, throwing the powder into it.

"Potions bag," Harry begged, and Sirius ran over to snatch it, grabbing a pain potion.

"Drink this for me, kiddo," he said, and placed the vial on his bloody lips and helped lift him up so that he could drink. It was clear that it wasn't enough for the pain that he was in, but it helped a bit, and Sirius looked over as Poppy, Albus, and Severus came into the room.

Poppy took one look at the teen on the couch, and looked over her shoulder. "Someone get my sister, I'm going to need some help," she ordered, and set to work. "What in the hell happened to him? Four broken ribs, broken ulna, hairline stress fracture to his femur, burns and cuts over the majority of his torso. What is this?" She stared at the mark on his neck. It was as though he'd been skinned, the first few layers simply peeled off and was steadily oozing blood. She waved her wand over it, but that did nothing. She frowned and did it again, to the same effect. "Severus," she called, waving him over, and showed him the mark.

Snape looked at the mark, and gritted his teeth. "It was definitely Malfoy who had him. He's been working on that spell for a long time. I can try to make a potion to heal it, but it will take a while," he warned.

"Get to it," she ordered. "I can't seal the wound, and it won't stop bleeding." She gave Harry a blood replenishing potion while she was talking.

"That was the whole idea," he told her coldly, and Flooed out, not wanting to admit that even his ironclad stomach was wanting to rebel at the sight of the severely injured teen.

Moments later, Rose Pomfrey hurried through the same fireplace, all business. "What do we have?"

"Rose, thank god. Can you heal the ribs while I handle the leg and arm?" Poppy asked, moving to hover over his leg.

Rose was about to say something when she saw who it was. She turned to Sirius, a look of fury on her face. "Who did it this time?" she demanded, getting everyone's attention.

Sirius was stroking his godson's hair, refusing to move away from him. "Death Eaters," he said shortly, not taking his eyes off of Harry, who was still whimpering in pain. "Can we talk about this after you heal him, for crying out loud?" he demanded.

Rose just glared at him, and the two witches set to work. In very little time, they had healed his breaks, rubbed salve from Harry's satchel into the burns and gashes, and began treating the friction burns on his wrists and ankles, as well as healed his lip and tongue. Finally, the two were exhausted and could do no more. "He will still be in a lot of pain for the next few days," Poppy warned. "He can take three pain potions a day, but no more. Until Severus can find something for his neck, he needs a blood replenisher every four hours. I'll bring some over shortly, as well as gauze, since you need to change that out at the same time because of the bleeding. I know he'll be tired, but he needs it to keep from bleeding out, so every four hours," she stressed. "Also, his magical core is almost entirely depleted. He's on magical restriction for a month, and that's a minimum. In addition, he's on bed rest for a week. I'd prefer it to be longer, but I know him too well. No moving around, lifting anything heavy, and don't stress him out. He can have Dreamless sleep later this evening as long as he doesn't have a pain potion for two hours before hand," Poppy finished telling Sirius, as Harry had passed out again while they were working.

Poppy turned to Rose to thank her for the help, but Rose was staring at Sirius. "I thought you were going to look after him," she snapped.

Sirius just looked up and glared at her. "He was kidnapped by Death Eaters. Not much I can do when I don't know where they took him."

Her eyes widened in understanding, and she was about to murmur an apology, when Remus asked the question that everyone was thinking. "How do you two know each other?"

Sirius looked back down at Harry with pain filled eyes. "I needed someone to heal him this summer, and Rose was the one that did so."

"What did Harry need to be healed from?" Albus asked, concerned.

Sirius looked up, hatred making his eyes nearly flame. "He needed healing because of those Muggles you saw fit to leave him with. I won't yell at you right now; it's not the time for it. But you and I are going to have a long conversation about Harry, I promise you that," he seethed, and went back to stroking Harry's hair.

Dumbledore gaped at him, wondering what on earth he was talking about, and Rose shook her head when he looked at her. "Patient confidentiality, Albus, you know that," she scolded. "Now, if you need anything, I'm just a Floo call away." She left, taking her sister with her.

"I need to head to the Ministry," Dumbledore told Remus. "Fudge will likely make a commotion about Harry using magic, and I must do what I can. Tell them that I'll be over tomorrow?" he asked, and Remus nodded.

So it was finally just the three left in the house, and Remus walked over to the couch. "He's alive, Sirius," Remus whispered, seeing the agony on his best friend's face.

Sirius tried to scoff, but he couldn't do it. "He's a mess is what he is," he breathed. He still hadn't stopped touching Harry since he'd found him. He was so terrified that this was a dream, and he'd wake up with Harry still being missing, or worse. He carried the weight of James and Lily for years; he wasn't ready to add another death to his toll.

"We'll help him through this," Remus insisted.

This time Sirius did scoff. "You realize he's going back to school in two weeks? He'll spend two weeks of being with the son of the man that did this, and there's nothing that Harry can do to protect himself."

"We'll figure it out, I promise you that," Remus said firmly. "For right now, let's take him to the guest bed. It's big enough for the both of you, since you need some sleep, too."

Sirius was back to staring at Harry. "I don't think I could sleep if I wanted to."

"Well, you can rest at the very least. Come on, Pads, let's get him to the other room."

So Sirius lifted him, and Remus opened the door down the hall and pulled back the covers. It was hard for Sirius to hold onto him, as Harry was still shaking from the after affects of the Torture curse, but he laid him down as gently as he could, pulled the covers over him, and lay down next to him.

"I'll let you know when Poppy gets here with his next round of potions," Remus said quietly, and closed the door.

* * *

Two hours later, Sirius let out a sigh of relief. He had wondered if the jerking and shaking was ever going to stop, and it finally had. He closed his eyes to get some more rest, when Harry started shaking again. Concerned, Sirius got up to take a look, and found that Harry wasn't shaking from the torture, but from a nightmare.

Sirius closed his eyes in pain, and then gently shook his godson. "Harry? Wake up for me, kiddo. Can you do that?" He kept talking and shaking, trying to get him to wake up, when Harry started screaming. Alright, he was done being gentle about it. "Harry, wake up now," Sirius said loudly and firmly, just as Remus opened the door, drawn by Harry's yells. "Wake up," he repeated.

"SIRIUS!" Harry yelled, jolting up to a sitting position. He looked around wildly, unsure where he was. His eyes finally fell on his godfather, and he let out a relieved breath, but he was still worried. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you, too?"

Sirius walked over slowly, and put a hand on Harry's shoulder to help ground him. "I'm fine, pup. Got hit with one hex, but Pomfrey fixed it in about two seconds. We were more worried about you."

Harry stared at his godfather, searching his face for the truth, then looking him over to make sure that he was, in fact, unharmed. He nodded when he saw that Sirius was alright. "Why do I feel so weak?" he asked, leaning his head back.

Sirius smiled sadly at him, and waved Remus forward now that Harry was calmed down. "You went through a lot last night, kid. Not to mention, your magical core is nearly gone, it'll take a lot of rest to get it back."

"Rest, huh?" Harry asked, trying to smile, but failing miserably. "I bet Madame Pomfrey told you that. She thinks rest cures everything."

Remus grinned, thought it was a bit forced. "Know from experience?"

This time Harry did smile. "Quidditch injuries, lots of them."

"Among others, apparently," Sirius said with a stern look, but he eyes were laughing.

Harry closed his eyes briefly. "Yeah, well, have to save the school when I can, don't I?" he asked, fighting the pull of sleep. Merlin, was he tired.

"Go back to sleep, Harry. We'll talk more about your attraction to danger later," Sirius said.

But Harry forced his eyes back open and looked fearfully at Sirius. "You'll stay with me?" he asked. While he hated admitting it, he was frightened. Not only did he want Sirius there because he cared, but he was an adult that could use magic, and Harry could feel that he wouldn't be able to for a while. If the Death Eaters could somehow track him there, he didn't want to be alone.

Sirius felt his heart break again. "I'm not going anywhere, kiddo. You're stuck with me." To prove his point, he sat back down on the chair by the bed, and Remus quietly exited the room.

Suddenly, Harry felt bad. "I haven't said anything to him yet," he fretted, fighting another yawn.

"Shush," his godfather soothed. "Remus understands. You'll have plenty of time to talk to him later. You are on bed rest for a week, after all."

That got Harry back to being upset. "A week? I can't just stay in bed for a week. And there's no way I can impose on Professor Lupin for that long." That time, he couldn't fight the jaw cracking yawn.

Sirius was sitting up again, and carded his fingers through Harry's hair. "Harry, it's okay. Get some rest, we'll talk more later."

Harry just nodded a bit and fell back into a fitful sleep. Sirius on the other hand, refused to close his eyes at all. He knew he'd come close to losing Harry, and his godfatherly instincts were screaming at him. He couldn't believe that school started in only two weeks. It wasn't enough time to help Harry recuperate from this, but it's what they had, and he was going to make sure that they didn't waste any time.

Remus opened the door and poked his head inside. He smiled sadly when he saw Harry back asleep. "Can I get you anything?" he asked quietly.

"A cup of coffee?" he asked gratefully.

Remus just nodded, and came back in a minute later with two steaming cups, handing one to his friend and taking a sip from the other.

"Thanks for letting us stay here for a while. Harry's just not strong enough to go anywhere else the next few days."

Remus gently smacked Sirius on the back of his head. "Idiot. Of course the two of you are welcome here anytime, you know that. The two of you will stay here for the week, since Harry's on bed rest anyway." Remus hesitated for a minute. "You know, I have about a hundred questions."

Sirius laughed softly. "Moony, when don't you have questions?" Then he sobered slightly. "I know you do, and thanks for waiting. It's just that a lot of them have to come from Harry, they're not my answers to give."

Remus smiled. "I know, and its great how close you two are, just doesn't make it less frustrating for me."

"We'll talk later, depending on how he's doing," Sirius said, gesturing to Harry.

Two hours later, Remus was still talking quietly with Sirius, who refused to leave Harry for even a moment, when a chime sounded, signaling that someone was at the Floo. "Probably Poppy bringing the potion and gauze. You wake him up?"

Sirius nodded, and Remus left the room. "Harry, can you wake up for me? Have to take a look at your neck," he said quietly, and Harry stirred, then stiffened, looking around wildly before relaxing a bit.

"I thought I was still there," Harry whispered. "I had passed out a few times, now I never know if I'm going to wake up here, or if I'll still be there."

Sirius pulled him into a hug, being careful of his injuries which, while healed, would still be sore. "We'll get through this," he promised.

Remus walked to the fireplace, and was surprised to find Snape there instead. "Where's Poppy?" Remus asked.

Snape sneered. "While I have no desire to play nurse to the brat, I have a salve I'd like to test on his neck, so I brought the potion and dressings as well."

Remus just nodded, though he did shoot the man a look that clearly said 'behave!', which Snape ignored. They walked to the guest room, and Remus stuck his head in.

"Severus is here to look at you, Harry. Is that alright?" When Harry nodded, the two walked in, and Snape went over by the bed.

"Drink this, Potter," he commanded, shoving a vial at Harry.

Harry took it, but started shaking as he tried to lift it. Sirius noticed this, and took it before it could spill. He uncapped it quickly, and helped Harry swallow it. Harry's face was once again burning in humiliation, but the older wizards ignored it for now.

"Right, now I'm going to take this dressing off and apply a salve. I don't know if it will work, but we can try," Snape said, and took the bandage off, surprised when Harry didn't even wince in pain. He took out the bottle of salve and liberally smeared it on the gash, then put fresh gauze over it. "We won't know for a bit if it's working or not. I'll be back in four hours to check on you again," he said quickly, and left.

The three left in the room were shocked at how fast that had gone, but shrugged it off. Remus looked at the clock and realized that it was nearly 11:30 in the afternoon.

"You hungry, Harry?" he asked, standing. He knew that the teen hadn't eaten in nearly twenty four hours, but felt it was better to ask.

Harry looked up, then back down at his lap. "You don't have to go to any trouble, I don't want to be a burd –"

"Harry James, if you say that word, I will make sure to put a Sticking Charm on you so that you can't leave that bed until school," Sirius threatened. He understood Harry's insecurities, but he wasn't going to allow them to continue. It was like dealing with Moony's issues all over again!

Harry kept his head bowed. "Lunch would be great, Professor Lupin."

Remus was a bit disconcerted by the conversation, but forced a smile onto his face. "Harry, I haven't been your professor in over a year. Call me Remus, or Moony."

Harry gave him a ghost of a smile, and nodded.

"Anything in particular you want?" Sirius asked a bit softer. When Harry just shook his head, he sighed. "How about soup and sandwiches?"

Harry looked up. "That sounds good," he said, giving his godfather a smile.

"Alright, we'll be right back with that," he said, and the two older wizards left the room, headed for the kitchen.

Remus started heating up some soup, and Sirius pulled out the sandwich fixings. "What was that all about?" Remus asked quietly.

Sirius's hands stilled. "I can't tell you everything. I won't break Harry's trust in me," he said hesitantly.

"I understand that, but can you give me something? I'm a bit lost here."

Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose. In truth, he should have expected a bit of a regression to how he was at the beginning of the summer, but with everything going on, it wasn't as important. "Harry doesn't trust adults, and unfortunately he has a lot of reasons not to."

"Meaning what, exactly?" Remus prodded. He didn't want to pry, but he cared a lot about Harry and didn't want to do anything that would cause him to be pushed away, especially now.

Sirius turned, and Remus stared at the pain filled eyes. "Let's just say that Harry's childhood was a lot more like mine than James's."

Remus gaped at him. "Tell me you're kidding, here," he demanded harshly. He remembered well all the times the Marauders spoke of Sirius's childhood.

Sirius turned back to the sandwiches he was making, needing to do something with his hands. "I wish I could, Moony. Harry's going to have to tell you anything else, though."

Remus jerkily turned and stirred the soup. He should have expected this. After all, what thirteen year old can't think of a good memory? "So, how did he come to trust you so quickly?" he asked, and saw that Sirius was about to protest. "Don't deny it, the kid loves you."

Sirius nodded. "I don't know. I think part of it is that I don't treat him like a child. I treat him like an adult because honestly, that's what he is, no matter his age. Also, we spent all day every day together for over a month."

Remus was pouring the soup into three bowls. "Is there any chance for me and him?" he asked quietly.

Sirius had finished plating the sandwiches, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Of course there is. Just give it some time, he'll open up to you."

The werewolf smiled and nodded. They grabbed a few glasses of water and went back into the room.

"Here you go, kiddo," Sirius said, placing a plate with a sandwich on Harry's lap. "It's not as good as Beauxbatons', but it'll have to do." He placed the water and soup on the table by the bed.

"Thanks. I'm sure it's good," Harry said, digging in. He really was hungry, not that it was surprising.

"So, how was France?" Remus asked Harry, starting his soup.

"It was nice," Harry said between bites. "I really learned a lot while we were there. Sirius is a good teacher," he stated, smiling at his godfather.

"What was he teaching?" Remus asked, laughing.

"French, Occlumency, Potions, we reviewed most everything for my classes, dueling, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy," Harry listed.

Remus choked on his soup. "Sirius taught you Arithmancy?" he asked incredulously.

Sirius playfully pushed him. "Hey, I taught him the basics, all right?"

"But you hated Arithmancy. You had to con me into helping you every weekend!"

Harry smiled at the pair. "Sirius is actually a good teacher, but I'm awful at it. I think I prefer Runes."

Remus laughed. "Well if you'd like, I could spend some time with you on Arithmancy. I'm sure he was great teaching Runes, though," he said, still laughing.

Harry smiled nervously. "Are you sure?" he asked. "I don't want to take your time away from other things."

He waved his hand, as though brushing the thought away. "I'd love to help. If you're anything like you were in third year, you're going to go batty this week. The least I could do is sit with you and try to distract you some."

Harry smiled a bit wider at that. "Thanks, Remus."

Said man smiled at the use of his first name, and thought of another question. He had to take it slowly, but he did have a lot of smaller questions, too. "So, Sirius told me that your Potions satchel was a gift."

Harry nodded. "It was. The potions teacher and school nurse at Beauxbatons gave it to me as a thank you for stocking the infirmary."

Remus choked on his soup again, but this time it was from shock. "You stocked the infirmary?" he asked.

Harry just nodded, setting his plate aside. "Yeah. I found that I really enjoy brewing potions. After there was an, uh, event…." He glanced guiltily at Sirius.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "How many times do we have to go over this? I don't blame you for that, alright? It was just a bump on the head."

"Yeah, one that left you bleeding everywhere, and one that I caused!" Harry exclaimed.

Remus stepped in. "Someone want to clue me in?"

Sirius could tell that Harry wasn't going to. "We were having our nightly Occlumency lesson, and I stumbled onto a memory that Harry was rightfully upset about. He threw me out of his mind rather forcefully, and I hit my head. Harry was so freaked that he managed to brew a blood replenishing potion, a pain potion, and nearly a vat of bruise balm. Most of the balm he gave to the Assistant Head as a thank you for sitting with me while he brewed. After that, he worked on Potions every day, and gave half to the school."

Remus gaped at Harry. "That was very generous," he praised.

Harry shrugged. "It was the right thing to do. Besides, I was using their ingredients, and they were letting us stay, use their rooms, library, dueling chamber, and fed us three meals a day. It seemed like the least I could do."

Remus shook his head fondly. "You have so much of your mother in you."

Harry smiled at him, and then reached for his soup. He'd forgotten about his temporary weakness, and spilled half the soup onto his lap.

"Harry!" Sirius said loudly, concerned that he might've burned himself.

Harry interpreted it a bit differently, and started getting up. "I'm so sorry, Remus. I'll take care of this. I didn't mean to drop it," he rambled as he started stripping the bed, leaning heavily on the bedpost to stay upright.

Sirius hurried over to his side as Remus started cleaning up. "Harry, we're not upset with you, I was just worried you might have burned yourself. Are you hurt?"

Harry stared at him, confused. "I'm fine, but the sheets…." He was tired, sore, and frankly a bit crabby, but he was aware that this wasn't his house, and he couldn't ruin any of Lupin's things.

"Are washable," Remus said calmly, and with a flick of his wand, the bed was dry, and fresh sheets were on it. "Harry, it's not a big deal."

Just then, Harry's knees buckled, and Sirius grabbed him, and lowered him gently onto the bed. "You sure you're not hurt?" Sirius asked again.

Harry looked down at his thighs, which were just a little red. "I'm fine."

Sirius groaned at the oft used phrase, and shook his head.

* * *

Three hours later, Harry was dozing in bed, book forgotten on his lap. The Floo chimed again, and Poppy was in a moment later. "Mr. Potter, you are still in bed, I'm impressed," she said sternly, pulling out a bag which she handed to Remus. "That's five days of blood replenisher and the gauze he'll need. Severus will be by once in a while to test a salve or potion he thinks might help." With that, she grabbed a vial out of her apron and went over to the bed. "This is Dreamless Sleep, I'm sure you remember it."

Harry scowled at the reminder of the other time he took the potion. The bloody Third Task. "I remember it."

"Right. Well, it will put you out for about ten hours. If you drink all of it, you shouldn't have any problems staying asleep, even when one of them changes the dressings or gets you to drink the potion."

Harry accepted the vial and thanked her before he downed it.

"Not a problem. I will see you at the end of the week," she told him, and took her leave.

Remus looked at Sirius. "How do you want to do this?" he asked. "His next dose will be in four hours. How about I take the first eight hours while you sleep and then you handle it when he's awake?" Sirius was about to protest, when Moony interrupted. "That wasn't really an option, there. You haven't slept at all. I at least got some sleep this morning. Go to sleep, and I'll wake you two in the morning."

Sirius just growled playfully at him, and started getting ready for bed. Without a doubt, it had been the longest twenty four hours in a long time.

* * *

**Yay, he's safe! To me, Harry's in character here, but I understand if anyone disagrees, just don't be mean about it. I give you the right to have a different opinion, I would appreciate it if you gave me the same consideration. **

**Nothing ever really happened with Flint in cannon after he left, but I had him join our favorite Dark Lord. He was the new recruit that Snape mentioned, since he's still young. I purposefully put him in there with Malfoy, and there's a reason for that. One of the reasons will be in the next update!  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the wait on this one, work and personal life have been sucking, and I didn't get a chance to edit this one until now. **

******To a certain 'guest' reviewer, I did have a question. The rest of you, feel free to skip down to the story :-)**

******Just for clarification's sake, why are you still reading this story? Given the content of and disdainful tone in every review you've posted so far, it's clear that you don't like what I write, so why continue to subject yourself to it? This story is quite long, and if you already have so many issues with it, what makes you think that you will like it later? Much of the story is already written, and I'm not about to change it to suit you. I already made the comment in the first chapter: don't like, don't read. That's your solution. Another one? Take 2 seconds and sign up on this site, then post a story that you can be happy with. I certainly won't beg you to continue reading******** mine. **

******Okay, now that unpleasantness is dealt with, onto the story!  
**

* * *

The next day, Sirius and Harry were finishing lunch and an Ancient Runes lesson, when Dumbledore arrived.

"Harry, my boy, you are certainly looking better," Albus said.

Harry just nodded, and Sirius looked at him. "You know why he's here, right?"

"To talk about the other night," Harry mumbled, looking at his sheets. He knew he needed to give the information that he had, but it wasn't going to be easy.

Sirius looked him in the eyes. "Do you want it to be just you two, or would you like Remus or me to stay as well?"

Harry thought for a moment. "You can both be in here. The two of you deserve to know everything, since I'll be staying here for a while."

Sirius just nodded at him, and returned a few minutes later with Remus. As soon as they were all settled in, Albus turned to Harry.

"You can start wherever you like," he said gently.

So Harry began his tale, starting with the attack in the alley. He mentioned fighting the Death Eaters and getting hurt with two Crucio's at once, before he managed to Stun them.

Dumbledore started. "How did you do that?" he asked, amazed.

Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure, to be honest. One moment I was screaming in pain, and then I heard Sirius yelling, and I thought he might need help. As I thought that, it gave me just a brief moment of clarity during the pain, and I shot a Stunner at them. It didn't knock them out, just dazed them a bit."

Dumbledore was twinkling madly. It was yet another example of love, and he was very impressed. "Alright, so what happened next?" he continued smoothly.

So Harry explained about Sirius being cursed, Malfoy grabbing him and Apparating to a cabin a few miles away. When he mentioned that there was a second person in the room, he tensed slightly.

"Who was it?" Sirius asked gently.

"His name is Marcus Flint," Harry whispered, and Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up. "I don't know him very well, he's a few years older than I am, but we played several Quidditch matches against each other. I guess it just made the war seem that much more real, you know? That I was fighting against someone that I knew and went to school with."

The three older wizards felt their hearts ache. That truly was one of the worst parts of war, was fighting against people you wouldn't have otherwise.

"So, they were shooting a lot of spells at me, and after a while, I passed out. When I woke up, I heard the two of them talking in another room, and Flint asked why they weren't calling Voldemort, and Malfoy just said that it was too risky, since I beat him four times, but it would be better if they delivered me so weak that I couldn't do anything," Harry whispered, picking at a thread on the bed sheet." Sirius grabbed his hand in silent support, and Harry looked at him gratefully. "Then they realized I was awake, and kept going with the torture. I could tell that Flint didn't want to do it, but he had to. Malfoy wanted to know why we were there, since everyone thought I was in London." He looked pleadingly at everyone. "I couldn't let him find out about Remus. I couldn't. So, he tried to use Legilimency multiple times. When I was able to keep him from accessing any memories that he wanted, he was really upset, and cast a few more spells. When I said something to him, he was even madder, and he cursed my neck, which made me pass out again."

Sirius was about to ask what he'd said, but knew that it wasn't the time for that.

"When I woke up again, I was alone. One thing you guys need to know," he said, looking at Remus and Dumbledore, "is that over the summer, I was able to learn a few spells wandlessly."

Yet again, the two wizards gaped at him. "Harry, I don't think I've ever met someone who could do that," Remus said, amazed.

"I know, that's what Sirius said. But it turned out to be an amazing thing, because I was able to break the ropes that were binding me, and I Stunned both of them when they came back in. But because I was so weak, I could tell that they weren't knocked out for good. I tried to us my emergency portkey, but they had wards around the place, so I just left. The cabin I was at wasn't far from the hotel Sirius and I were supposed to stay at, and he'd mentioned where Remus lived, so I just came as far as I could, and called out for help. Sirius heard me, and he came running, and helped me get inside."

Sirius and Remus wondered why Harry wasn't mentioning his Animagus form, but they knew that it was Harry's choice when to mention it.

It was only then that Harry realized that Dumbledore had yet to look at him throughout the whole discussion. The older man brushed a speck of dust off his sleeve before focusing on his hands. "Do you remember the curse he used on your neck?" he asked, tone showing that he knew there was more to the story than Harry was letting on.

Harry shook his head. "I could hear the rest, but I was already teetering on the edge of passing out again."

"What were the other curses that they used?" Dumbledore asked hesitantly.

Sirius growled low in his throat, but Harry squeezed his hand. "It's alright," he whispered. "There was a lot of Diffindo's, a few Deprimo's, Crucio a few times, Legilemens, Incendio, Malfoy used one called Sectumsempra, and Flint used, uh, Tarantallegra," he said the last one fairly sheepishly, though throughout the rest he'd been pale as a ghost.

Sirius gave a bemused expression. "The dancing spell?" he asked.

Harry gritted his teeth. "I told Flint to be more creative. It's a bit hard to dance when your legs are tied down. That's how my leg broke."

Sirius stared at him. "You told him to be more creative?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "They were going to hurt me no matter what, it at least made me feel a little better to annoy them."

Sirius and Remus exchanged looks, knowing that Harry got his insanity from his father. Albus, on the other hand leaned forward. "Is there anything else you wish to tell me?" he asked, looking at Harry's shoulder.

Harry shook his head. "I know I'm on magical restriction for a month, how will that work with my classes?" he asked, almost desperately.

"I will talk it over with your teachers, you certainly won't be penalized," the headmaster assured him.

"Is there any way I could talk to Professor McGonagall?" Harry asked, glancing at Sirius and Remus for a moment. "I'd like to talk about switching some of my electives for this year."

Dumbledore paused for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "I'll have her stop by in a few days to talk to you. Your friends Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger have been named the Gryffindor prefects for this year, and if you'd like, they could stop by as well."

Harry blinked at him. In truth, he hadn't thought about prefects at all, but he approved of the headmaster's choices. Hermione was a given, only ever having been given one detention in four years, and being top of the class. Ron was a bit of a surprise, but it would certainly help his confidence level. "Maybe later," he said hesitantly. "If you could congratulate them for me, maybe I'll see them next week before we head back. Do they know about…what happened?" he asked, picking at the same thread in the sheets.

"They do not," Albus told him. "May I ask a question?"

Harry looked up, surprised. "Of course, sir."

"How long have you been studying Occlumency? You were able to keep Lucius Malfoy out, and that is no mean feat."

Harry sent a small smile to Sirius, who grinned back. "I've been practicing most of the summer. Sirius gave me a couple books on it, and we practiced every night without fail. Once I was able to keep him out nearly every time, we started practicing me not knowing when he'd attack, so that I wasn't expecting it, and it certainly came in handy the other night," Harry finished, getting tired again.

Albus must have noticed this, because he stood. "Harry, I expect you are getting tired of hearing this, but I have no right to expect this amount of bravery from you. It goes above and beyond what someone would believe a fifteen year old is capable of. I will send Professor McGonagall to speak with you this week, and Severus will be stopping by occasionally to try and heal your neck. In the meantime, rest as much as you can. I will be in touch," he said, and left, Remus following him out.

Once they were at the Floo, Albus turned to the former teacher. "Fudge wanted to try Harry for underage magic. However, when Tonks and Kingsley brought back the Death Eaters to Madame Bones, she declared that it was clearly self defense. Unfortunately, Fudge refuses to believe Malfoy did anything to harm Harry. He may try to bring Harry in and question him. I will keep you informed," he promised, and Flooed out.

Remus turned and saw Sirius leaning against the doorway. "How's Harry?" he asked quietly.

Sirius shook his head. "He said he wants be alone until it was time for his next potion. I expect that reliving it was harder than he expected."

Remus nodded, and the two sat on the couch. "How much do you think he glossed over for us?" he asked.

Sirius grimaced. "A lot. You noticed that he never said a spell until Albus asked him if he remembered any?"

"I did notice that. And the fact that he was still able to mouth off to them, even through the pain?" he asked, aghast.

Sirius smiled. "That is all James. Lily would have been, well not afraid, but certainly more quiet. James would have been cursing his family to Jupiter and back."

"I'm surprised he doesn't want his friends here, though," Remus commented.

Sirius thought about it for a few moments. "I'm not, not really. I mean, he's the kind of kid that doesn't want anyone to know when he's hurting or in any kind of pain. What he went through was huge, and he's starting to realize that. I think he's worried about how they'll react."

Remus considered that. "You think he's going to try and handle this by himself?" he asked worriedly.

Sirius nodded sadly. "He's never had anyone to lean on. He's had to become self reliant, never showing weakness to anyone. Of course," he said, looking steely eyed, "if he thinks that I'm just going to sit around and let him deal with this on his own, he has another thing coming."

Remus smiled at his oldest friend. "I know what you mean. We'll just have to show him that he's not alone."

Unknown to the adults in the other room, their thoughts were rather accurate. Harry was lying on his bed, trying to use his meditation techniques to push back the pain of his memories. Reliving them had been much harder than he thought it would be. It had brought back all the fear and pain he'd been trying to forget about since arriving at Chez Lupin. Part of him really wanted to see his friends right now, but another part of him couldn't help the fear that thought brought. What if they saw him and realized how weak he was? Or, possibly worse, what if they freaked out on him, which would be rather uncomfortable? Better to keep them at arm's length, at least until he was off bed rest.

He knew that he didn't have the luxury of waiting to talk to his head of house, since he needed to get his class schedule figured out. With a bit more work, he may be ready to take the fifth year Runes class, and possibly the fourth year Arithmancy class, but he didn't know if that was allowed. He also had a few questions for Remus about clubs. As he was a former professor, he might know more than Sirius on the subject. But maybe he didn't want to bring it up until he'd ironed out the kinks?

He also knew how tough the first two weeks of classes would be with Draco around. Malfoy was sure to have told his son about the events, and Harry didn't have a way to defend himself if Draco chose to attempt to finish the job. He would just have to explain his predicament to his friends and his head of house, hoping they could think about it together to come up with a plan.

Eventually, his exhaustion caught up with him, and he fell into a fitful sleep, filled with accusatory faces and spell fire.

* * *

Sirius and Remus were on the couch discussing a schedule for Harry for the remainder of his bed rest when the Floo flared, and Snape stepped out.

"Severus," Sirius greeted, standing up. "Another salve already? That was much faster than I expected."

"Black, Lupin," Snape greeted with a sneer. "The headmaster was adamant that I channel all of my spare time into finding a cure for the brat. I have no idea what will work, so I must try several things."

Remus just nodded at him. "He's probably asleep, let's go check."

The three wizards went to the guest room Harry was staying in, and walked in to find Harry in the throes of a nightmare. When the door shut, Harry shot up in bed, wide awake and staring around wildly.

Unfortunately, Snape was the first one to speak. "Potter, you're awake. Such a lack of manners, sleeping when…"

But he trailed off when his words sent Harry into a panic attack, falling off the bed and crawling into the corner, eyes wide and breathing erratic.

Sirius hurried over, and dropped to his knees about two feet away from the trembling boy, and Remus pushed Snape away from the boy, glaring at him for his callous greeting. Snape, for his part, stared at the brat, wondering what he'd said to get such a reaction.

"Kiddo, look at me, alright? You're safe here, I promise. No one is going to hurt you, I won't let them. Just try to slow down your breathing to match mine, alright?" Sirius told him, cursing Snape when Harry continued staring wildly around. Remembering what James had done when Remus had a panic attack in seventh year, he considered for a moment. "Harry, what are the main ingredients in bruise balm?" he asked softly.

Snape scoffed at them. While the bruise balm was a fairly simple second year potion, there was no way Potter would remember it. He was slack jawed when the brat started listing them, pausing every few ingredients to take a breath, trying to gain his bearings.

Sirius smiled when Harry calmed down, his eyes finally landing on him. "That's better. Good job, pup. Let's get you back into bed, alright?" he asked, and gripped his godson by the arms, helping him to stand and get back into bed.

Harry was scarlet with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry about that, Sirius."

Sirius waved him off. "You're fine, kiddo. What happened, though? Just so we make sure it doesn't happen again."

Harry chanced a look at Snape, then back at Sirius. "That was what Malfoy said after I passed out the first time. I guess I just forgot where I was for a minute."

Snape felt a twinge of guilt. He certainly hadn't meant to traumatize the boy. "Well, Potter, if you are all done with histrionics, perhaps I could take a look at your neck."

Sirius bristled at Harry's reaction being referred to as histrionics, but moved away slightly, giving Snape room to work.

Snape handed him a blood replenishing potion, and took off the dressing. It was still as raw as it had been when he'd received it. He pulled out the salve he'd brought, and smeared it on, then wrapped the neck again, and lastly had Harry drink another potion that the potions teacher hoped would work with the salve.

"I'll be back in two days to take a look again. If it works, let me know," he snapped at Remus, and took his leave again.

The three watched him leave, and turned back to Harry. He just shook his head. "I've already talked about it too much today. Not right now, alright?" he asked, exhaustion evident.

Remus sighed. "Alright, Harry. How about we wake you up in time for dinner?"

Harry smiled slightly at him. "That would be great. Thanks, Remus."

When it was time for dinner, Sirius needed to wake Harry from another nightmare. The teen had growled, frustrated with himself for this, until Sirius firmly told him to stop, telling him in no uncertain terms that no one thought any less of him for it.

After supper, Remus had offered Harry an Arithmancy lesson, and Harry jumped at the chance, after double checking that he wasn't interfering with anything else Remus might have had planned. Remus had gently assured him that he wanted to help, and they continued where he and Sirius had left off in the third year book. Harry was pleased to see how much he understood now, even though he still had a lot of difficulties with it. After two hours of Arithmancy, Sirius took over and finished their Ancient Runes lesson from that afternoon.

After Harry's fifth yawn, Sirius declared the lesson over, and told Harry to get some rest. When Sirius got up to follow Remus out, Harry spoke up in a very timid voice. "Are you staying in here tonight?" he asked, face burning with humiliation at sounding like a five year old. During the day, Remus had conjured a smaller bed for the older man to sleep in, but it was still a relief for Harry having another adult around. True, he kept his wand next to his bed, but both Sirius and Remus had lectured him about the importance of using it only in a dire emergency.

Sirius exchanged shocked looks with Remus before smiling. "Of course I will. I was just going to have a spot of tea with Remus, and I'll be back in."

Harry thanked him and lay back down. Sirius followed Remus into the kitchen, and his friend started preparing the tea.

"He asked for something," Remus said with a smile. "That is definitely an improvement."

Sirius agreed. "It is. And I think there's something he wants to talk to you about," he commented.

"I know. I noticed he was looking at me throughout both lessons. Well, if he doesn't bring it up by lunch, I'll ask him about it." Remus thought of something else. "How did you remember what James did for me back in seventh year?" he asked curiously.

Sirius barked a laugh. "To be honest, I wouldn't have any other time. I was just trying to think of something to snap Harry out of it, and then remembered when James had you reciting all of Jupiter's moons."

Remus smiled. "He always was a smart guy."'

Sirius woke Harry from another nightmare at around 1:30 in the morning, and Remus had brought in some hot chocolate laced with a Calming Draft that Poppy had given him. Harry had been so exhausted that the Draft and the chocolate sent him straight back to sleep. The next morning, he had tried apologizing several times for waking them up, and he was waved off each time.

After breakfast, Remus gave him another Arithmancy lesson. He didn't want to push the kid too hard, but Harry seemed eager to learn. After two and a half hours, Harry was getting frustrated, so he said that they were done for now. Sirius took over and started another Runes lesson, but Harry kept yawning, so Sirius told him to rest before lunch.

Remus woke him while Sirius was getting it ready. As soon as Harry was sitting up, slightly happier that he didn't have another nightmare, Remus broached the subject. "Hey, Harry. I was wondering if there was something you wanted to talk to me about?" he asked hesitantly.

Harry considered how to say something. He didn't want to talk about his idea until he had some more time to think about it, so he decided on something else to mention. "Do you think I'll be able to switch out Divination for Runes? I'm not sure if I'll be able to get into the fifth year, but I can try. And maybe Arithmancy? I'll probably have to go into third year for that one, but I'd like to try."

Remus could tell that this wasn't what Harry had been thinking of, but he didn't push. "I take it this was one of the things you wanted to talk to Professor McGonagall about?" When Harry nodded, he continued. "She'll have you take the end of year exams for both to see where you are, and decide from there. With all of Sirius's help, I wouldn't be surprised if you got into fifth year Runes. You may be able to go into fourth year Arithmancy. It's certainly unusual, and it might be uncomfortable for you to take a class with a younger age group. Are you sure you can handle four electives, though?" he asked worriedly.

Harry smiled at him. "I was thinking of dropping Divination, if I could. It's a completely worthless class, and takes too much time as it is."

Remus laughed. "I understand that. Well, the difficult thing is that fourth year Arithmancy might be at the same time as another one of your classes, but that's something to talk to Minerva about."

Sirius came into the room then, carrying a tray of food. "Talk to her about what?" he asked.

"Harry was thinking of changing his electives around," Remus explained, handing Harry a plate of food.

The teen was relieved to see that his strength was slowly returning, and he could hold the plate with very little shaking. "How do you think I'm coming on Runes? And be honest," he warned his godfather.

Sirius considered that. "You're well past third year material, and well on your way to finishing fourth year. If we keep going at this pace for the next week and a half, you may be able to test out of fourth year exams. I'd definitely talk to McGonagall about it."

* * *

The next few days passed quickly for the three. Harry continued to work hard on his Runes and Arithmancy work, wanting to join the classes. He was finding out the magic that could be used when you knew the subjects, and wanted to learn all he could. If he thought he'd been doing a lot of reading earlier that summer, he was mistaken. He found just how boring a week in bed was, and read nearly every book that he and Sirius had bought. He'd already finished the DADA books, **Being Lupine**, **Discovering Your Inner Animal**, his fifth year Transfiguration book, and was reading through the books on Wizard culture. He was still having nightmares, but also strange dreams about a corridor and a door at the end of it. He was sure that he'd never seen it before, and was worried about how upset he was when he'd wake from them. He started his meditation techniques again, trying to get them to stay up even when he slept, but it was more difficult than when he was awake. He decided that if he was still having the dreams when it was time to go back to school, he would talk to Sirius about it.

It was the second to last day of bed rest when Sirius poked his head in the door while Harry was trying to memorize the first few Transfiguration spells he'd use this year.

"Harry, Professor McGongall is here to talk to you," he said

He smiled at his godfather. "Great. Could you and Remus join us?"

Sirius nodded and opened the door, the three coming into the room. "Mr. Potter, I understand that it's summer, but you really want to greet your head of house while in bed?" she asked with a bemused look.

Harry shared a confused look with Sirius and Remus, who were just as confused. "Um, Professor, I'm on bed rest until the end of the week," he told her, brows furrowed.

She stared at him, then looked at the older wizards, who were nodding. "Whatever for? Albus told me that you were on magical restriction, of course, but he didn't mention this! What happened?"

Harry looked down, then glanced at Sirius beseechingly.

Sirius could tell that his godson didn't want to say something, so he stepped in. "I'll explain it before you go, Minerva. Meanwhile, I think there were a few things that Harry wanted to talk to us about."

McGonagall was still looking dubious, but nodded, and the three pulled up chairs, and Sirius helped Harry sit up further. "Very well. Go ahead, Mr. Potter."

Harry took a breath. "There's a couple things, actually. One is that I was wondering if it was possible to switch some of my electives for this year, or if it was too late?"

She looked startled. "What were you thinking of changing?"

"I want to drop Divination, and possibly pick up Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Sirius has been tutoring me in Runes, and we're already over halfway through fourth year material, and Remus has been working with me on Arithmancy, and we're almost done with third year."

McGonagall stared at him. "I never knew you were interested in those subjects."

Harry smiled slightly. "I wasn't until the beginning of the summer, when Sirius started tutoring me."

"He's more than likely ready for fifth year Runes," Sirius told her, and pulled out a file and handed it to her. "This is all the homework and quizzes he's done for me this summer."

Remus grinned and handed her another file. "Great minds think alike, Sirius. This is the work he's done on Arithmancy. He's probably ready for fourth year Arithmancy, but I don't know if it's allowed, since it is rather unusual."

Minerva thought for a moment. "I will have to speak with the professors," she started. "If they agree, then I'll have you take the appropriate end of year exams, and we'll go from there," she promised.

Harry nodded. "How will the magical restriction work?" he asked, going on to his next set of questions. "I know that it'll put me behind, but I'm willing to make up the work."

She gave him a rare smile. "We certainly won't penalize you for this. Albus has already spoken to the professors and told them that you are on restriction for the first two weeks of term. If you need assistance to catch up to your peers, you need simply ask us. For those first few classes, you'll study the material and the theory behind it. Thankfully, it is only Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense that you need magic for, so you shouldn't be too far behind. You won't start using magic during Herbology, Potions, and Runes until after you OWLs."

Harry grinned. "Well, I've already finished reading the fifth year book for Transfiguration," he said cheekily, showing her the book and enjoying the startled look. "Is there something else that I could be doing during that class?"

She gave him a stern look. "I'm sure I can think of something," she told him. "Was there something else you wanted to ask?"

This time, Harry hesitated. He had given it a lot of thought, and was a little worried about what they would say. "What does it take to start a club at Hogwarts?" he asked.

Minerva exchanged a glance with Sirius and Remus, who looked as confused as she did. "Well, you need to write out what the club is for, who you plan on inviting, where you would like to meet, and ask a faculty member to be a sponsor."

Harry pulled out the parchment he'd been writing his ideas on, and handed it to her, Sirius and Remus looking over her shoulder. "I want to start a defense club for all four houses third year and above. This isn't a time to be worried about House rivalries. Sirius showed me just how behind we've been, having only one good defense teacher out of four. I want to help people get up to speed with everything we should have been learning the last few years. The only problem I've come up with is that I don't want to help train the enemy, and I want to make it so that anyone who is a Death Eater or is planning on becoming one in the near future can't join. I was thinking of a charmed parchment, but I wasn't sure how to do something that advanced. I also don't know who to ask to be a sponsor, unless we get a decent Defense teacher this year."

The three adults exchanged shocked looks. This was very deep stuff for a fifteen year old to be thinking about, and they were amazed that Harry was willing to accept Slytherins into this new group.

"If I may ask," McGonagall started. "Why now?"

Harry started picking at a thread on the sheets again, then he looked up at Sirius. "Marcus Flint," he whispered.

Sirius understood in a heartbeat. Harry didn't want any more former classmates to join the Death Eaters if he could help it. He was about to say something when Harry spoke again.

"Some people join Voldemort because they feel they don't have another choice, right?" he asked quietly.

Sirius nodded. "That's true. Some join because that's how they were raised, like Draco. Some join because they want the power that he promises, and some join because they are afraid and feel it's their only option." He couldn't help but think of Peter, who hadn't been raised in a dark oriented family, but went that way regardless. He shoved the thought away and paid attention to his godson's next comments.

Harry looked at each of them. "I want to show people that Voldemort isn't their only option, that there are people who care and are willing to help them."

Minerva bought herself some time to collect herself by looking over the parchment he'd handed her. It was clear that the teen had been thinking about this for a while; it was well thought out and planned. "The parchment idea is a good one," she told him after a few minutes. "I'll discuss it with Albus and see if there is something we can do to help you. I'll be back in a few days once I've talked with the headmaster and Professors Vector and Babbling. Once we get those classes figured out, I will give you your book list for this year," she said, and then looked at the two adult wizards, who nodded.

"We'll be right back, Harry," Sirius promised, and the three left.

As soon as the door was shut and they were in the living room, she turned to them. "Why on earth is Potter on bed rest? I know him, and he certainly would never stand for it!" she demanded.

Sirius sighed and waved a hand to the armchair, taking a seat on the couch. Once all three were seated, he looked at her, face grim. "A few evenings ago, Harry and I were attacked by Death Eaters and Harry was kidnapped."

Minerva's eyes widened. "What?" she exclaimed.

He just nodded. "We found him later that morning, but he was badly tortured and his core nearly depleted. He's still recovering, though he is much better than he had been."

At the mention of torture, Minerva had paled. She knew that her lion always got the short end of the stick in life, but this was unimaginable. "Who?" she whispered.

Remus closed his eyes in pain. "Lucius Malfoy and Marcus Flint."

Minerva was staggered. Now she understood why Harry wanted to unite the Houses, trying to prevent something like that from happening again. "He's on restriction, and he's going to spend two weeks, unable to use magic, with Draco, who most likely knows everything that happened?" she demanded, feeling her protectiveness rising up.

Sirius nodded. "That was another thing that I wanted to talk to you about. Is there anything we can do to protect him? If he and his friends are outnumbered, or if he's caught alone, it could be disastrous."

Minerva thought for a moment. "That is another thing I will be discussing with Albus, in addition to why he did not feel I had a right to know any of this," she seethed, standing. "Thank you for telling me all of this. I should be back in about three days," she promised, and Flooed out.

Sirius and Remus went back into Harry's room. "Hey pup, why didn't you tell us about your club idea?" he asked lightly.

Harry considered for a moment. "I wasn't sure if you knew what was needed to start a club, and I was still working out the kinks on it. I wasn't sure if you would think I could handle it, or that it was just a knee jerk reaction to what happened."

Sirius smiled sadly at him. "I know that if any student could handle it, it would be you. I'm sure what happened to you is what gave you that idea, but it really is a good idea. If you need any help with it, just let us know."

They had dinner shortly afterwards, and Sirius offered to play another round of chess with Harry.

"Oh no," Harry laughed. "I remember the last time all too well."

Remus chuckled at him. "He got you to play with him? I learned years ago never to play with him."

Sirius pretended to pout. "Come on, just a few games. I'll even let you two work together, sound fair?"

They agreed reluctantly, and spent the evening playing. With Harry and Remus working together, they managed to win two out of the seven games they played, and Sirius was smirking.

"I'm going to have to make you play Ron sometime," Harry said with a grin as they put the pieces away. "I want to see who would win."

"Are you doubting your godfather?" Sirius demanded, mock hurt showing on his face.

Harry instantly felt bad. "No, not at all, Sirius, really, I just think it would be fun to watch, is all, really…." he rambled, and Sirius smiled sadly at him.

"Relax, kiddo, I was teasing. Speaking of your friends, you're off bed rest the day after tomorrow, why don't we invite them over?" he offered hesitantly.

Harry sighed. He knew that he couldn't keep ignoring his friends, they'd been sending him owls, wondering how he was doing and when they could see him, and his excuses were getting pretty thin. "Alright, why don't you Floo Mrs. Weasley and ask if they can come over that day?"

Remus smiled widely. "Sounds like a good idea. It'll be a mini celebration for you being out of bed."

"Then later that day, I can show you our new house," Sirius said with a grin. He'd been going over there a few times to get things ready, but only left when Harry was asleep.

Harry stared at him, wide eyed. "Our house?" he asked in a whisper. "You mean it? You really do want me to live with you?"

Sirius looked at him, and knew that this was his insecurities coming up again. Thanks to those dratted relatives of his, he never thought he'd be wanted, Sirius thought grimly. He knew he needed to have that talk with Albus soon, maybe when Ron and Hermione were over. But first he needed to clarify this, and sat on the side of the bed. "Harry, I told you that you were never going back to Privet Drive, and I keep my promises. I've wanted to live with you since I offered at the end of your third year. I love you, and one day I'll get you to realize that."

Harry pulled him into a hug, trying to put all the things he couldn't say into it. When he pulled back, Remus smiled. "And you're always welcome here for when he's driving you up a wall," he joked.

Sirius sent a mock glare at his friend. "Get some sleep, kiddo. I'll be in later."

Remus and Sirius went to the kitchen for tea, and sat down. "He agreed to let his friends come over," the werewolf commented.

Sirius nodded. "Which is great, I was really getting worried there for a bit. He needs his friends, and I wasn't liking how he was keeping them at arm's length." Then he sighed. "Do you think you could stay here while they're over? There's some things I need to speak with Albus about, and I don't want to leave Harry with only two underage kids."

Remus nodded, but looked at him strangely.

Sirius sighed. "It's high time I hand Albus' ass to him on a silver platter. I just haven't wanted to leave Harry for very long this week."

"Understandable," Remus told him. "It's not a problem."

* * *

**Not a very exciting chapter, sorry about that, but the next one is a bit longer. Plus, we'll finally get to the conversation you've all been waiting for :-)**


	9. Chapter 9

**This update brings happiness! Why, you might ask? Because I now have over 300 followers, 100 reviews, and 23k views. You guys absolutely rock, and your reward is a good length on this one. Now, this update has a LOT in it, but I don't think it's too jumpy. **

**After some consideration, I believe that I'm going to keep everything under this title, rather than split it up by Harry's summers/years. So no worries about missing anything, it'll all be under this one.  
**

* * *

Harry's last day of bed rest passed quickly, and it was finally the next morning, and Sirius helped him stand.

"Much better," Harry smiled, and walked to the bathroom. Sirius had helped him a few times to take a bath, but he was much more fond of showers, and he finally could again, being careful of his neck. It had been getting more painful as time went on, but he only took pain potions when he absolutely needed them. So far, nothing had worked, and he was getting nervous that he'd be taking blood replenishing potions for the rest of his life. He made sure to keep both his pain and fears from Sirius and Remus, not wanting to worry them any more than they already were.

Half an hour later, he joined the two adults at the kitchen table, where they had made waffles and bacon, one of his favorites. He dug in with relish; everything seemed better today.

"Your friends will be here in an hour," Remus told him with a smile. "I figured you were tired of sitting around in here, so I set up chairs outside. The house and grounds are warded, so it shouldn't be a problem."

Harry smiled at him. "Thanks, Remus." Though it had been strange calling a former professor by his first name, it was getting easier. "How long are they staying?"

"Molly said they could stay for about six hours, which works well, since you'll be getting pretty tired by then, and we still have to head to our new place," Sirius said with a grin.

Harry passed the time packing his things in his trunk. He was amazed how spread out everything had gotten, even though he'd only really been in one room. He had just started putting his books away when the Floo chimed, and Ron and Hermione came in.

"Harry!" Hermione squealed, running and giving him a hug.

"OW!" Harry gritted, breaking off and grabbing his neck where her arms had dug in.

"You alright, mate?" Ron asked worriedly, hurrying over.

"Remus?" Harry called painfully, still clutching his neck.

Remus hurried in with Harry's satchel, and dug out his last pain potion. "Last one, Harry. I'll see about getting you some more."

Harry downed the potion, grateful for the relief. He enjoyed the feeling for a brief moment and opened his eyes. "Don't worry, I'll make some more if we get the ingredients," he told Remus, then turned to his friends. "I'm fine, guys, just have a bit of an injury, need to be a bit more careful about it. I should have warned you."

"Nonsense," Hermione protested. "I shouldn't have thrown myself at you like that. What happened?"

Remus stepped in. "Harry, you guys want to head outside?" he asked, and Harry shot him a grateful look.

"That would be great." He started to walk, and realized that he was still a bit weak. He shot Remus a pleading look, and he nodded understandingly.

"It's right this way, you three," he told them, and discreetly held Harry's arm until they got outside and gently helped him sit down. "If you need anything, I'm only a shout away," he promised, and left them alone.

"Harry, what's going on?" Ron asked, getting worried. "No offense, but you look like crap."

"Thanks, Ron," Harry said, and sighed. He knew that he needed to tell them, but it was not going to be easy. "Let's build up to that, shall we? How were your summers?"

Hermione and Ron exchanged significant looks, knowing that they wouldn't let him avoid the topic forever, then went into discussing their own holidays. Ron told him about Percy being a world class prat and disowning them, the twins' new inventions, and Bill and Charlie being back in the country. Hermione told him about her family's trip to Greece and all the things she learned on the way, and then her trip to the Burrow.

"Alright, your turn," Hermione said firmly.

"Well, Sirius and I went to France and spent nearly a month at Beauxbatons," Harry told them.

"Really?" Hermione asked excitedly.

"Yeah, I've learned so much this summer. You'll never believe this, but Sirius has been great and has been tutoring me in my classes, and started teaching me Runes, and Remus has been teaching me Arithmancy."

Hermione beamed, and Ron gave him an incredulous look, raising his brows. "Why would you want to learn those?"

Harry laughed. "I never thought I would, but they are pretty fascinating, and there's a lot of magic you can do when you get further. McGonagall is seeing if I can drop Divination and pick up Runes, but we don't know yet. She should be coming over in the next few days to tell me."

"Harry, it's great that you've been taking more care with your studies. When did you get back?" she asked, knowing that the bad stuff was coming.

Harry sighed again. "Well, we were doing it slowly, since we had to travel as Muggles; magical transportation out of the country has been watched lately. We weren't far from here when Sirius and I were attacked."

Hermione and Ron stared at him. "What happened?"

Harry looked at them for a moment, and then looked back down. He gave them a very watered down version of the events leading up to his arrival at Remus' house, not commenting on his Animagus form or his wandless magic. It wasn't that he didn't trust them, he just wanted to wait until he could work on them some more before he mentioned it. It still took over half an hour to relay, and when he was finished, he forced himself to look at them for the first time since he started talking.

Hermione had her hands covering her mouth, tears in her eyes, and Ron was looking murderous. "How badly were you hurt?" Ron demanded. "Don't sugarcoat it for us, either."

Harry grimaced. "It was bad, I'm not going to lie. That's why I was on bed rest for so long, and why I wouldn't let you guys come over sooner. I wanted to be up and moving around first."

"Harry, you know we don't care about that," Hermione said softly. "But you said that you're on magical restriction?"

He nodded. "Yeah, that was something else I wanted to talk to you two about. I can't do magic for another three weeks, and you can bet that Lucius told Draco about what happened."

"So you're stuck with no way to defend yourself from them?" Ron asked, aghast.

Harry shrugged. "I mentioned it to McGonagall, and hopefully she can come up with a solution, because I've got nothing. I certainly don't want to put the two of you at risk – "

"Oh, come off it!" Ron said loudly. "If you think we're going to let you face that lot by yourself with no magic, you're off your rocker."

"He's right, Harry," Hermione said quietly. "We're not letting you do this by yourself. But I'm sure that the headmaster will come up with something, he has to."

Harry was about to say something when the back door opened, and Remus looked at them. "Harry, Professor Snape is here with another salve."

Harry just nodded, and Snape and Remus both stepped out. "Granger, Weasley," he greeted coldly, and thrust the all too familiar vial at Harry, who downed it quickly, and he pulled off the dressing. The wound was still as bad if not worse than it had been the week before. He pulled out the salve he'd been working hard on, and dressed it again. "Lupin told me you're out of pain potions, so I'll bring some over tomorrow," he said curtly, and left as quickly as he came.

As soon as he was out of sight, Remus smiled at them. "Sirius is talking with the headmaster right now, he should be back later. I'll let you know when it's time for lunch," he told them, and went back into the house.

For the next few hours, the three spoke about much happier topics, Ron and Hermione trying to cheer Harry up, especially when they could see he was getting depressed.

* * *

Once Harry's friends had arrived at Chez Lupin, Sirius Flooed straight to Albus' office and scowled at him.

"Ah, Sirius, how is young Harry?" the headmaster asked with twinkle in his eyes, offering him a cup of tea.

"No, thank you," Sirius said. "He's doing better, though that is hardly saying much."

The light in his eyes dimmed some. "Understandable. He went through a terrible ordeal, it will take a while to fully recover."

"Have you spoken with Minerva?" Sirius inquired.

"I have, actually. I hear Harry has taken an interest in a few different subjects this summer?"

"Yes, I'm expecting her in the next day or two to hear what classes he is able to take this coming term," Sirius said, getting tired of the small talk. "I was thinking more about the concerns we had regarding the younger Malfoy."

"Sirius, do you truly believe that Draco would attempt to harm Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

The Animagus stared at him. "Have you lost your mind?" he demanded. "Of course I'm worried about that. You know as well as I do that Lucius would have told Draco about that night, and with Harry on restriction, that leaves him vulnerable to anyone who wishes him harm!"

"I do not believe that any of my students would truly attempt to injure another." When he saw Sirius fuming, he amended. "However, I shall provide Harry with a pendent that will portkey him into my office in the event he feels threatened. I shall give it to him after the Opening Feast."

Sirius scowled at his former headmaster's naïveté, but nodded at the plan. "That does seem like a reasonable course of action."

"Agreed. Now, I do have a request to make of you," Albus told him. "Since you did such a good job in France, I would like you to go to the school in Spain and see if they are willing to join us as well."

Sirius considered that for a moment. "I'll go on this mission only after Harry goes back to school. He's still recovering, and I won't leave him before I have to."

Dumbledore nodded. "That seems reasonable. You certainly have done a good job with him these past few weeks. What made you teach him Occlumency?" he asked, truly curious.

Sirius stared hard at him. "You know exactly why I wanted to teach him that."

He sighed. "Sirius, I told you that I will not inform him of the prophecy yet. He is still too young, he needs to enjoy his childhood."

Sirius stood and braced his hands on the desk, staring at the headmaster. "Enjoy his childhood?" he demanded. "Harry never had one, you meddling coot!"

Albus raised his brows calmly. "Why would you say that?"

Sirius sat back down in disgust. "You remember asking what Rose needed to heal Harry from earlier in the summer? He had a concussion, a contusion on his knee, malnutrition, and lashes covering every inch of his back, courtesy of those relatives! And from what I've seen during our Occlumency lessons, that has been the norm for him in that household his entire life!" he roared. "A childhood? One of those requires the opportunity to be a child, not beaten for wanting to read instead of cook at the age of six, Albus! You have to go to school and be worried about exams and Quidditch practice rather than how you are going to save the school that year! He has never had the chance to have a childhood, and you are robbing him of the chance to know what is rightfully his!"

Albus stared at him. "I'm sure they were not as bad as you are thinking," he started.

"Not as bad?" Sirius demanded. "I have seen his memories, Albus! More than that, I've witnessed how foreign kind words and concern are to him. I've seen how strange he finds it that someone might actually love him. Harry is not a child, no matter his age. He has been through things that would break another wizard. Voldemort wants him, no, he needs him dead, and Harry has the right to know why."

Dumbledore shook his head. "This information is too dangerous to give to Harry. Should Voldemort realize that he has it, it would prove disastrous for Harry. He would not be able to keep Voldemort out."

"He was able to keep out Lucius Malfoy, who is nearly an accomplished Legilimens as you are, and that was after Merlin knows how many hours of torture!" Sirius shot back.

The headmaster shook his head. "I do not find a compelling reason to tell Harry right now, we can revisit this conversation later," he said.

Sirius glared at him in defeat. "You are blind. Blinded by your belief that Harry is a child, and I fear it's going to end up hurting someone."

Albus switched topics. "I've spent quite a bit of time this week speaking with Fudge. He is not going to question Harry, in part because he refuses to believe that Malfoy had anything to do with Harry's injuries. Unfortunately, he has decided on a course of action that will prevent Harry from telling anyone what happened, and has passed an Educational Decree, saying that he can place someone as a teacher if the headmaster is unable to find someone suitable. I have been unable to find anyone to teach Defense this year, and he has appointed Dolores Umbridge to the position."

Sirius gaped at him. "Umbridge, that cow?" he demanded. "You would be better off hiring Harry to teach, and I can guarantee you he would do a better job of it!"

Dumbledore's eyes started twinkling again. "Yes, Minerva told me about his idea for a defense club. What prompted him to make this decision?"

"Marcus Flint," Sirius told him. "He does not wish to fight against anyone else that he has gone to school with. He's also learned how far behind he and his peers are because of the Defense teachers, and wishes to help others."

"Quite a mature decision, especially for one so young," Albus mused. "I have taken a look at his ideas, and find his charmed parchment to be a wonderful thought. I've already started on the enchantments. It will keep any who has a Dark Mark, and any student who has already made the decision to join him from signing it." He paused, thinking. "It truly is remarkable for a fifth year to come up with this idea, and it is quite timely, as well."

Sirius stood. He wasn't going to be able to convince his former headmaster to stop seeing Harry as a child, at least not yet. "If that is all, I will come to you for the mission details as soon as Harry is on the train to school." With that, he Flooed back to Remus' home.

* * *

Meanwhile, Harry had just finished telling Ron and Hermione about his club idea during lunch, and was not surprised by his friend's reaction.

"You want to invite the Slytherins?" Ron demanded, staring at his friend.

"Not all of them are going to be Death Eaters," Harry told him. "Think about it, the Sorting Hat wanted to place me in Slytherin, and I certainly would never have joined. There has to be some others in that House that don't want to join. But if there's one thing I've learned this summer, it's that we need allies. That's why Sirius and I went to France, to try and ally with another powerful school. If this club succeeds, then we have cut off Voldemort from more supporters."

"Well said, Harry," Remus told him with a smile as he came into the room. "Not many people would think like that, and you are absolutely right."

"But how can you know that you aren't training the enemy?" Ron questioned Harry and Remus both.

"He has a good point," Hermione said quietly. "I agree that this club is a great idea, since we all could use more help in Defense unless we get another brilliant professor. The problem, though, is how you can be sure that Voldemort's supporters won't be joining the club as well."

"I can answer that," Sirius said, walking into the room. "Hello Ron, Hermione," he greeted with a tight smile.

Remus could tell that something was wrong, but he would ask later. "What do you know?" he asked instead.

"Dumbledore is charming a parchment so that no one who currently supports, or has made the decision to support Voldemort will be able to sign it," Sirius told them.

"That's great!" Harry enthused. "That means that those who are on our side, and those who are on the fence can. Which means that we might be able to prevent some people from joining Voldemort when they might have otherwise."

Sirius looked at the determined and resolute expression on his godson's face, and cursed the headmaster again in his head. He was about to say something when Harry yawned. "Alright, I think we need to cut this visit short," Sirius said regretfully to Ron and Hermione. "We still have to finish packing and head to our new place."

The two friends nodded understandingly, and stood to hug Harry again, being much more careful this time. "Do you think you'll be able to make it to Diagon Alley?" Ron asked, and Harry looked at Sirius.

He thought hard and fast for a moment, before nodding. "I don't see why not, though we will be taking extra precautions."

They all agreed, and the two left to head back to the Burrow. Sirius helped Harry back to the guest room, and ordered him to sit and rest while he finished packing their things.

"Did you have a good visit?" he asked as he closed the trunks.

"I did," Harry said with a smile. "It was good to see them again, since I haven't all summer. And Ron said he'd send Hedwig to me tomorrow, and she'll probably be able to find me."

"She will," Sirius said confidently. "You ready?" he asked, and Harry nodded.

Remus looked up from his book as the two came into the living room with their belongings. "You leaving?" he asked, somewhat sadly.

Sirius went and gave him a hug. "Thanks for the houseroom," he said quietly.

Remus squeezed him back. "Anytime, old friend," he said back, then pulled Harry into a hug.

"Thanks for everything, Moony," Harry whispered.

Remus started, surprised at the use of his nickname, though he did like it. "It was no problem, Har. Just do me a favor, and don't scare me like that again, my poor heart can't take it," he said, only half joking.

"Not a problem," he said fervently. "I'm sure we'll be seeing you soon."

With that, the two dragged their things to the fire, and Sirius called out, "Black Abode," and the two were gone in a swirl of green fire.

When they stepped out, Harry froze, amazed. The living room was cozy and intimate, already furnished with rugs, a couch and armchairs, a beautifully crafted coffee table, and even a clock on the mantle.

"Like it?" Sirius asked nervously.

Harry turned to stare at him "I love it!" he said. "When did you find the time to do all of this?"

Sirius chuckled as he pulled their things away from the fire. "This past week, mostly when you were asleep. Come on, I want to show you your room."

Harry followed him down the hall, and they stopped outside a room with a plaque that read 'Harry's Room'.

"Go on," Sirius encouraged, and Harry opened the door.

It was done in Gryffindor colors, the walls were gold, and the bed sheets were red. There was a wardrobe, a desk with two chairs, and two bookshelves. Pictures of his parents were framed on the bookshelves and the desk. Harry turned to his godfather, slack jawed that someone had made this room specifically for him! "Sirius," he whispered, taking another look around.

Sirius gave him a tentative smile. "If you don't like it, we can change some things around," he started, but was shut up when Harry pulled him into a tight hug.

"It's perfect," he said quietly, and let go.

Sirius tousled his hair affectionately. "I'm glad. Why don't you unpack your things? I'll let you know when it's time for dinner."

Harry just nodded and pulled his trunk into the room. Sirius left him to it, and went to his own chambers, which weren't finished, since he'd spent a lot more time on Harry's but he'd fix that this week when he had time. He quickly unpacked his things, then went to the kitchen and started unpacking the dishware he'd bought.

Dinner was a quiet affair, Harry was tired from his first day off bed rest, and Sirius was thinking about his upcoming mission. As soon as they were finished, Sirius gave him a tour of the house, explaining the things he wanted to do with it, and asking Harry's opinion on several things.

"I'll show you the outside tomorrow," he promised. "I'll be setting up wards to make it much safer, but the land is expansive, and Remus only lives a few miles away."

Harry was grinning the entire time. After only a few hours here, it felt like more of a home than Privet Drive ever had. After he'd yawned a lot more, Sirius laughed and sent him to bed, thrilled at how much he seemed to like his new home.

The next morning, Harry woke before Sirius and felt the new bandage on his neck. He felt bad that it needed to be changed every four hours, which meant that Sirius didn't get a lot of rest during the night. He stood and stretched, then made his way to the kitchen, looking around for something to make. He decided on a simple breakfast of eggs, hash browns, and sausage. He had just finished putting the plates on the table and was pouring coffee for Sirius and juice for himself when his godfather came into the room.

Sirius saw the wonderful meal waiting, and felt a slight pang. "Harry, you know that you don't have to cook for me, right?" he asked.

Harry smiled at him, putting the drinks on the table. "I know. It's just my way of saying thank you for everything."

They sat and started eating. As soon as they were finished, the Floo chimed and they walked into the living room to find Minerva waiting for them.

"Minerva, have a seat," Sirius offered, and the three sat down in the living room. "What can we do for you?"

"Actually, I am here for you, Mr. Potter," she said, looking at Harry. "I have spoken with the professors for Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Here are the end of year exams, so that they can see how far you are," she told him, handing him a file of parchment.

Harry nodded. "How long do I have?" he inquired.

"You have an hour and a half for each exam, and if you would like a break between them, I would understand. I'll stop by to pick them up after lunch," she promised, then looked at Sirius. "And you'd better ensure he won't cheat." There were charms on the parchments to change color if he had cheated, but she wasn't going to mention that, as she trusted Sirius and Harry.

Sirius raised his hands in surrender. "I wouldn't dream of it, though I know Harry never would."

Harry nodded at his head of house, and took the exams to the kitchen table, and grabbed a quill and some ink, starting with Runes.

After three hours, he stood and handed them to Sirius. "I think I did alright," he said, unsurely. "I know that third year went alright, but I'm not sure about fourth."

"I'm sure you did great. You going to take a break before Arithmancy?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "Would it be cheating to review before I took them?" he asked.

Sirius shook his head. "Not at all. Want some help?" he offered, and Harry agreed. "Go grab your books, I'll make some tea."

Once they finished with review, Sirius watched him go back to the table to start his exams, and pulled out a book on the Spanish school he'd be visiting. He knew that they were much more neutral than Beauxbatons, and would not be as easy to convince.

Three hours after that, Harry stood, frustration lining his face, and handed Sirius those exams as well. "I don't think I'm cut out for Arithmancy," he said sadly.

Sirius squeezed his shoulder. "Hey, you've only had a decent teacher in it for a week, of course you're going to be behind."

Just as he finished saying that, the Floo flared again, and McGongall stepped out. "Finished?" she asked briskly. Harry nodded, and Sirius handed her the exams. "I will return after dinner once the professors have had a chance to grade these," she said, and was gone once again.

Their afternoon passed quickly. Sirius gave him a tour of the outside of the property, and Harry was amazed to see how large it was. He might even be able to go flying this week! Soon enough, they had made and finished dinner, and were waiting anxiously in the living room.

"Relax, Harry," Sirius soothed. "No matter what, you did as well as you could on your exams, and that was after only a summer studying them."

No sooner had he finished speaking, than the doorbell rang this time, and Sirius went to answer it. He came back a moment later with not only McGonagall, but two more professors that Harry had only seen at mealtimes. As soon as they were all settled, she turned to Harry.

"Mr. Potter, this is Professor Babbling, who teaches Ancient Runes," she introduced.

Babbling sat forward a bit. "How long have you been studying Ancient Runes?"

Harry sat up a bit. "I started learning about a month and a half ago; Sirius has been tutoring me every day," he elaborated.

Raised brows met his words. "Well, that makes this all the more impressive."

Harry reached out to accept the exams back, and was shocked into silence. He had received an O on the third year exam, and an E on the fourth! "Are you sure?" he demanded.

Babbling laughed. "I double checked the results myself. I have no problem with you joining the fifth year class, and if you find yourself having any problems, please come see me."

"Mr. Potter, I am Professor Vector, I teach Arithmancy. How long have you been studying?"

"Sirius taught me the basics shortly after he started tutoring me in Runes, and Remus Lupin has been helping me this past week," he said.

Vector gaped at the student for a moment. "Well, here is you third year exam."

Harry took the parchment, and stared at it. He had gotten an E! "Wow," he whispered.

"Indeed," Vector said, amused. "Well, now I understand you fourth year score a bit better, and I won't bother to show it to you. I know that taking a class with students younger than yourself might be a bit uncomfortable, so I am offering you a chance to study with me twice a week."

Harry remembered his etiquette lessons with Sirius enough to keep from gaping at the man, but it was close. "You would tutor me during the school year?" he asked.

Vector nodded. "It has been a while since an upperclassman has taken an interest in Arithmancy, and it's a good opportunity. Come see me when you get your class schedule, and we'll find the times to meet."

The three stood, and McGongall held out a last piece of paper. "Here is your book list for the year," she told him. "I shall see you at the Opening Feast." With that, the three professors took their leave.

Harry was staring at the papers in his hands, until finally Sirius grabbed them to see his scores.

"You did it, pup!" he yelled, pulling him up and swinging him around. "I'm so proud of you!"

Harry was still shell-shocked at his scores. He really had done it, he had the necessary grades to take the classes, and he could drop Divination!

He took another look at his booklist. "Do you think we could go to Diagon Alley tomorrow?" he asked, wanting to get the books he needed so that he could take a look at them before term started.

Sirius thought about that. "Sure. I'll Floo Molly and Remus. I'm going to insist that Remus and I stay with you while we're there, just to be on the safe side," he said sternly.

Harry nodded. "I'd appreciate that," he said honestly. "Do you mind if I owl Ron and Hermione? I can't wait to tell them!"

Sirius smiled at the enthusiasm. "Go for it. You're due for another potion in a bit, but I'll come in when it's time."

"Thanks for everything," Harry told him earnestly, and hurried to his room. Hedwig had returned earlier that day when he'd been taking the exams, and he couldn't wait to tell his friends about his scores.

* * *

The next day, Remus arrived at their house just as they were finishing breakfast, and they Flooed to the Leaky Cauldron. The first thing they saw was the familiar redheaded family.

"Harry!" the twins yelled, running over.

The teen put his hands up to stop them from hugging him, since he still didn't have any more pain potions. "It's great to see you guys," he said instead, pulling his collar up to hide his bandages.

"We need to talk to you later," Fred said quietly. "It's about the shop."

Harry nodded with a grin, then turned and accepted a gentle hug from Hermione. "I couldn't believe it when I got your owl! You get to take Runes with me, I'm so excited. If you need any help at all, with that or Arithmancy, you have to ask me. Oh, this is going to be so exciting…"

"Let him breathe, Hermione," Ron said with a laugh. "I still say you're bonkers for doing this, but it does mean that you get out of Divination, you git, leaving me alone in that class."

"Hey!" Harry laughed. "Just think, you might be able to get extra credit if you keep predicting my death now."

Ron's grin widened. "That is a good point. Thanks, mate."

Sirius and Remus stayed in the background with Molly, giving the kids their space, but keeping them within view. Their first stop was to get new school robes, as both Ron and Harry had grown enough to need new ones. Their next stop was to get parchment, quills, and ink. Harry bought a lot more than he usually did, since he was taking different subjects, and it was their OWL year. They decided to stop at the pet store, so that Ron and Harry could get owl treats, and Hermione bought a few things for Crookshanks.

They spent the longest time in Flourish and Blotts. Harry spent a long time browsing the aisles, looking not just for his required books, but anything else that caught his eye. He grabbed an extra book on Defense, since the assigned one was just theory, which he and Hermione were quite confused about. He also found one about using Runes and Arithmancy together, which he grabbed right away, and saw one on the basics of healing. After what happened a week and a half before, he realized that he knew very little about healing, which would most likely come in handy. When he got to the Potions section, he remembered that he wanted to stop by the Apothecary to pick up extra ingredients so that he could make some more pain potions, as well as what he needed for school. He mentioned this to Sirius. So Harry, Sirius, and Remus left the Weasleys, and went across the Alley to the shop.

They were nearly there when Harry saw the two people he never wanted to again: Lucius and Draco Malfoy.

His blood froze in his veins, and he started shaking as his neck flared with phantom pain. Sirius looked up to see what had gotten such a reaction out of his godson, and snarled. He and Remus pulled out their wands, pushing Harry behind them.

"Ah, it's Potter," Lucius said with a sneer. "I see you must be feeling better. The Minister told me you had an incident last week, I'm glad to see there are no ill effects," he smirked, seeing the bandaged neck.

"Why don't you be on your way, Malfoy?" Remus suggested as calmly as he could, though his wand hand was shaking.

Lucius adopted an air of surprise. "Is there a problem? Don't tell me that Potter is still convinced that I had something to do with his injuries?"

Draco was looking from his father to his rival, still protected behind his guardians, and was confused. He knew that the Dark Lord had been upset with his father over something, but he had never heard why. Could Potter have something to do with it? He would find out, and if Potter had done it, then he would make sure the bastard would pay. He hated having to watch while his mother healed his father after those meetings.

"Well, don't mind us, we were just leaving," Lucius said, knowing when he was outnumbered. "Come, Draco," he ordered, and the two left.

Sirius watched them until they were several yards away, and then he and Remus turned to Harry, who was pale and shaky, a sheen of sweat covering his face.

"Harry," Sirius said worriedly. "Listen to me, kiddo. You're safe, okay? Nothing is going to happen to you, I won't let it," he promised. "Come on, Harry, look at me, alright?"

But Harry's mind had frozen, he couldn't think, he couldn't even move. He dimly heard his godfather calling his name, but he couldn't bring himself to answer.

"Let's get him to the Leaky Cauldron," Remus said, grave. The two working together managed to half pull, half drag Harry back to the pub. Sirius sat Harry down at one of the back booths so they wouldn't be seen, and Remus went to get him a drink.

He came back with a shot of Firewhisky. Sirius looked at him, shocked, and Remus smirked at him. "Believe it or not, but this works better than water, trust me."

Sirius helped Harry down the fiery liquid, and he coughed and spluttered, coming back to himself. He was surprised to find that he was at the Leaky Cauldron, and Sirius and Remus were staring at him in worry.

"Gods, I'm so sorry," he said, hanging his head. "I don't know what came over me."

"Hey now," Sirius scolded, forcing Harry to look at him. "You have nothing to apologize for. Are you alright?"

Harry nodded. "I'm fine," he said, though he really wasn't sure.

Sirius made a disbelieving noise, but nodded. He knew that it would take Harry a while to open up. "Alright, let's get back home."

"No," Harry said, standing back up. "We still have to stop by the Apothecary and say goodbye to the Weasleys." He really hoped that he didn't run into the Malfoys again, but he wasn't going to let his fear run his life.

"You sure about that?" Remus asked quietly.

Harry nodded vigorously. Sirius and Remus sighed, knowing that James and Lily's stubbornness was showing in their son. They quickly made their way to the store and bought everything Harry needed, and then started looking for the redheaded family. Harry was resolute in his decision not to let the Malfoys frighten him into hiding, and walked with his back straight, keeping an eye on his surroundings. They caught up with the Weasleys as they were leaving Flourish and Blotts.

"Hey guys, I'm getting tired, so we're heading home," Harry told them. "I'll see you on the train in a few days, though."

Hermione looked at Harry and saw that he was still somewhat pale, and knew that it was more than tiredness that was making him leave. She also saw the grim looks of Sirius and Remus, and decided that she would talk to him on the train. "Take care, Harry," she told him, and gave him another gentle hug.

"Yeah mate, owl us if you need anything," Ron said.

Harry just nodded to the rest of them, and the three made their way back to their homes, Remus needed to get a few things done. As soon as Sirius and Harry arrived back at their new house, Harry turned to him.

"I'm going to get started on some pain potions," he told him. "Do you want to start getting lunch ready?"

Sirius nodded. He needed to talk to the kid, but knew that this wasn't the best time. "I'll call you when it's ready," he promised, and watched as Harry carried his bags to his room.

The first thing Harry did was to put away all the things he'd bought. He put his new robes into the wardrobe, the books on his shelves, and the ingredients on his desk. He pulled out the fifth year Potions book to remind himself of how to make the potion, and set to work. He was grateful for all the time spent brewing and preparing the ingredients, since he didn't have to think about it as hard now.

He was able to analyze his behavior at the Alley. It was embarrassing how he'd fallen apart at simply seeing the man! He needed to get over it, since he would be seeing Draco nearly every day when they got to school. He would just have to find a way to deal with what happened, and he knew that it was time to start back up with Occlumency. There were only a few days left in the summer, but he would use them wisely.

He thought back to the Defense book he needed to get. Why on earth were they only supposed to by a theory book? They were fifth years, for crying out loud! And with Voldemort being back, they needed all the training they could get. Clearly, the person Dumbledore had found to be their teacher wasn't going to be a very good one.

He had just taken the potion off the fire to cool when he started feeling dizzy. Looking at the time, he realized that with all the excitement at the Alley, they had forgotten his blood replenishing potion, which he should have taken nearly an hour ago. He stumbled to the door, and felt at the bandage on his neck, which was starting to bleed through. They always packed a lot of gauze there so that he didn't have to worry about it, but he was late for that as well.

At the door, he needed to pause and steady himself, shaking his head slightly to clear it. "Sirius!" he called.

Sirius had just finished making lunch for the two of them when he heard Harry call his name. He darted out of the kitchen and into the hallway to see a very pale Harry clutching at the doorframe. "Pup?" he asked.

"Blood potion," Harry gritted out, feeling his head swim a bit.

Sirius mentally cursed his forgetfulness. Poppy had been clear about how important his blood replenishing potion was, and he sprinted to the living room to grab a vial and some bandages, and ran back to Harry's room.

"Let's get you sitting down," he said tersely, and helped him over to one of the chairs. He thrust the vial at him. "Drink," he ordered as he pulled off the blood soaked bandage, putting a fresh one on.

Harry shakily drank the potion down, and started feeling relief. He could tell that it was one of his. How he could tell that, he wasn't sure, but he knew it, and was grateful that he'd brewed extra before they'd left Beauxbatons.

"I'm sorry, Sirius," Harry said, his eyes still closed as he felt the potion working. "I can't believe I forgot about the potion."

"Hush," Sirius told him. "I forgot as well. Let's hope that Snape comes up with a cure for it soon." He found it strange that he was putting so much faith in his former rival, and a man that he knew hated Harry, but he was a brilliant Potions Master, there was no denying that. Looking for something to do, he saw that the pain potion was ready to be bottled, and went to it.

He finished bottling the last one, and Harry stood. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

Sirius forced himself to smile. "Not a problem, kiddo. Let's get lunch before it gets cold."

For the rest of the day, Sirius made sure to give Harry the potion every four hours, not a minute more. The two of them spent the day outside reading, and he gave Harry a Runes lesson after supper. He was awed by his godson's gift at Runes, being able to pick it up so quickly. Even though Harry had tested out of fourth year, they continued studying the necessary runes to insure he didn't fall behind.

The last few days passed similarly. Harry had approached Sirius about practicing Occlumency again, but Sirius refused. There was too much of a risk that Harry would use magic to push him out, which would be dangerous since he was on restriction still. They did meditate together, though, which helped quite a bit with his nightmares. Harry was also concerned because he continued to have the dreams about the corridors, and still had no idea what it meant.

The last evening together came far too quickly for the two of them. Sirius had explained about his upcoming mission to Spain.

Harry had nodded, thinking hard. "How long do you think you'll be gone?" he asked.

Sirius shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. It could be a week, or it could be a few months. It all depends on how receptive they are to an alliance. They have a reputation of staying neutral, and it'll be hard for me to convince them to join us. I won't give up immediately, but I will have to stay on my toes to make sure I leave before I wear out my welcome."

Harry looked at his godfather, concerned. "You'll be careful, though, right?"

Sirius chuckled and messed Harry's hair. "Of course I will be." When he saw that Harry still looked worried, he smiled. "We still have the mirrors, remember. We'll make it a point to talk every few days, I want to make sure you're doing alright at school. Your nightmares are starting to get better, right?"

Harry realized this was the time to mention his dreams. He started hesitantly, then picked up speed, explaining everything in exact detail. "When I wake up, I am so frustrated and angry, but I never know why! It just makes no sense, the dream, or how I feel afterwards," he exclaimed.

Sirius was frowning. Well, this was something to take to Albus, maybe getting the old coot to tell Harry about the prophesy. "Harry, this is something that, you have to believe me, I want to tell you, but I can't. I'll talk to Dumbledore about it. For now, keep practicing Occlumency at night, try to keep your shields up even when you sleep."

Harry nodded, thinking about what he'd been told. Pain flared again on the side of his neck, and he instinctively reached up to grab it, and tried to pass it off as an itch.

Sirius was not fooled. He got up and went to Harry's satchel and grabbed one of the newly made potions, handing it to him. "Drink," he ordered.

"Sirius, I'm fine," Harry tried to protest, but it was useless. He took the vial and drank it down, then looked up in surprise as the doorbell rang.

"Who would be visiting at this hour?" Sirius asked in confusion and went to open the door, finding Dumbledore and Snape. "Albus, Severus," he greeted with a frown. "Please come in," he said, closing the door behind them.

"Potter, you may want to drink a pain potion," Snape snapped, reaching into his robes, "though I don't know if it's going to do anything."

Harry exchanged a nervous look with his godfather. "I just drank one. What's going on?"

"Severus believes he has found the only way of closing your wound," Dumbledore told him, his face slightly paler than usual. "However, it will not be pleasant."

Sirius was now frightened. "What is the plan?"

"A series of three salves, one after the other, with half an hour between them," Snape said, voice unusually grave. "The first one will cauterize it, the second will heal any damage done by the first, and the final one will be to begin regeneration of the skin and nerves."

Harry blanched. He could tell that the next hour and a half was going to be less than pleasant, but he couldn't very well keep drinking blood replenishing potions every four hours for the rest of his life. He swallowed past his suddenly dry throat. "Let's do it."

The adults stared at him, surprised that he was so willing, and Snape was the first to speak. "Lay on the couch, Potter," he commanded, and took off the bandage that was covering the wound. He pulled out an orange potion that he had finished earlier in the day. Before he could use it, Harry spoke up again.

"Could I have something to bite?" he asked quietly. The last thing he wanted was to scream like a baby in front of these three adults.

Sirius cleared his throat, and conjured a piece of Muggle plastic, which was flexible enough to be bitten, but wouldn't break, either. "Here you go, pup," he said, helping him put it in.

Harry bit hard and nodded to his potions teacher. When Snape poured the thin liquid over every centimeter of the wound, Harry's first thought was that he was on fire. He screamed into the gag, and, almost against his will, his hands rose to scrape off the offending liquid.

Sirius saw the danger immediately, and grabbed both his godson's wrists to prevent him from wiping off the potion. "It's alright, Harry," he said, trying to cut through the muffled screams. "It's going to help, you'll be fine," he kept repeating, but kept his eyes off the neck, which was starting to smoke. The smell of charred flesh assaulted his nose, and he fought back the bile that was rising. Snape had walked to the kitchen, and Albus was staring out of the window, tears in his eyes. Sirius stayed where he was, holding onto Harry for dear life, unsure if he was comforting or being comforted.

After a few minutes, Harry was still writing in pain, but he stopped struggling against the hands holding him, and his screams became muffled groans. The rest of the time felt like an eternity for all four wizards in the room. If it weren't for the plastic, Harry knew he would have bitten clean through his lip again. The pain was as bad as when he'd been cursed in the first place, and it took all of his strength not to pass out again.

Finally, Harry spat out the plastic and sat up slightly. "Professor?" he asked weakly, looking around.

"Ready for the next part, Potter?" Snape asked, his face noticeably whiter than normal. When Harry nodded, he took out a thick vivid blue potion, once again pouring it over the wound, which was now nearly blackened.

Harry jerked as the potion went to work, eating away at the charred flesh, cleaning the residue of the first. He kept jerking for the next ten minutes, though the pain was much more tolerable than the first. He looked up at his godfather, who was holding back tears. "Pas mal," he said as nonchalantly as he could, which made Sirius give a weak chuckle.

"C'est vrai?" he inquired, grateful that someone could interject humor in the situation.

Albus found a small amount of twinkle as he looked at the small family. "What was that?" he asked, not having spoken French in decades.

"I just told him that it wasn't so bad," Harry told him, hand still squeezing Sirius's almost to breaking.

"I'm certainly glad to hear that, Harry," the headmaster said.

Harry worked to keep the conversation going, as it kept his mind off the pain in his neck. After another thirty minutes had passed, Snape came over again.

"This one will help grow the skin back and heal the damaged nerves. I do not know if there will be a scar. Only time will tell." With that, he pulled out a pure white salve and liberally smeared it over the now swollen and inflamed skin on Potter's neck. This one, by contrast, felt cold, nearly like ice, and it soothed the pain of the first two. Once he had finished with that, he bandaged it again. "Take that off in the morning before you get on the train, and see me after the Opening Feast, I would like to take another look at it. You can take another pain potion before bed as well."

Harry agreed, and the two professors took their leave. The teen looked over at Sirius and shrugged with the other side. "It's better than it was," he said noncommittally.

Sirius wasn't fooled for a moment. "That's not saying much," he retorted. "You stay here and rest some, I'll grab us some tea." He got up and walked into the kitchen, holding onto the counter for support. Never again did he want to hear his godson screaming like that, being in unholy pain. It went against every godfatherly instinct he had, the need to protect. He busied his hands by starting the tea, but his mind was still working overtime. More than ever, he wished he wasn't going to Spain the next day, but there was nothing for it; the Order needed allies for the coming war, and he spoke the language better than others in the Order. He would just make sure that both of them packed their mirrors so they could keep in contact. Christmas had never seemed further away.

He brought in the tea and handed one to Harry, who was now sitting up and staring out the window at the darkness. "Thanks," he whispered, taking the offered cup.

They stayed up late that night, talking and packing, neither wanting to end the evening. But Sirius reminded Harry that they needed to get to the train station in the morning, so they each went to their own rooms, staying up and knowing that the summer was over now.

* * *

**So, summer is over, and the school year starts on the next update! Not sure if I'm going to update again before Christmas, so if I don't, then Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Winter Solstice. If I missed the holiday that you celebrate, then enjoy the day! Be kind, laugh, and remember the reason for the season :-)  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**I hope all of you had a good holiday regardless of what you celebrate. My family all seemed to enjoy themselves, and my niece is finally able to talk more, and was as close to chattering as she could get, it was adorable!**

**In regards to this chapter, I didn't realize how close it was to canon until I was finished editing it, but there you have it. I changed a few things around, but it is still fairly close. Things will start picking up soon, though.  
**

* * *

The next morning came, and Sirius made Harry breakfast. After they ate, he forced Harry to take a pain potion, seeing that he was wincing slightly. They took the bandage off to find that it looked better than it had before, though that was easy to do. It was still swollen and very raw looking. Harry pulled on a shirt with a high collar so that he wouldn't get too many questions on it.

The two took Sirius's car to the station. He helped Harry with the trunk and Hedwig's cage, wheeling them through the barrier and helped get them onto the train.

Harry paused, not wanting to say the inevitable goodbye. He reached over and pulled Sirius into a tight hug. "You take care of yourself, alright?" he asked desperately.

Sirius nodded, and they ended the hug. "That's my line, bud," he teased. "I'll be fine. Just keep out of trouble." Seeing Harry's look of protest, he amended. "Dangerous trouble. Feel free to pull some pranks. Use the mirror tonight, let me know what Snape had to say about your neck."

Harry just nodded at him. "I'll see you tonight then." Never one for extended goodbyes, he turned and went to find a compartment. He found an empty one and pulled out his fourth year Runes book, wanting to get some more review in before his first class.

Neville stopped by, asking if he could join him, and Harry nodded enthusiastically. He took a look at the book Harry had been reading. "Runes?" he questioned. "I thought you weren't taking them?"

Harry smiled. "I wasn't, but my godfather, Sirius, was tutoring me in them over the summer, and I managed to get into fifth year Runes. Are you in that class?"

Neville nodded. "You got through the third and fourth year material in one summer?" he demanded, in awe.

Harry nodded shyly. "We spent a few hours on it every day. I find them fascinating, there's so much you can do with them. Though I'm probably still really behind. Want to help me when I get stuck?"

Neville laughed. "You'd be better off getting Hermione to help, she's much better than I am."

The door opened, and the two looked up. A younger blond girl looked dreamily at them. "Is it alright if I join you? I find that no one else wants me to sit with them."

Harry looked at her, startled. "Of course you can sit with us. I'm Harry," he introduced.

"I know who you are, Harry Potter. And you are Neville, right?" she asked, still dreamy. When Neville nodded, she smiled. "I'm Luna Lovegood, though people like to call me Loony."

Harry frowned. "That's horrible! Well, have a seat. I think Ron and Hermione are in the prefects' compartment for now, but they should be joining us later."

"Oh, are you taking Runes?" Luna asked, looking over her magazine to see Harry's book. "You should be careful with that subject."

"Why is that?" Harry asked, curious.

"Because the Gombtouts don't like Runes, they don't understand them. They might choose to attack you if they see you reading them."

Harry stared at her. "What exactly are Gombtouts?"

"They are a distant cousin of the horsefly," she answered promptly. "Not many people have seen them, as they avoid large crowds, and I've never seen any at Hogwarts, so you'll probably be safe."

Harry smiled at her. She was very unique, though rather strange. "Well, I'll have to take my chances, since I really need to study before classes start. What year are you?"

"I'm a fourth year Ravenclaw, and I heard about your godfather, that he was declared innocent. I suppose the Wrackspurts helped at his trial."

Harry was getting mental whiplash from the topic changes, and tried to keep up. "I suppose they did, and I'm really glad that he finally got a trial."

The trolley came, and Harry bought plenty for the three of them, and extra for Ron and Hermione when they came by.

"This is very nice of you," Luna said. "It's almost like having a friend."

Harry was getting a bit uncomfortable with the brutal honesty of her. "Luna, I'd like it very much if we could be friends," he said honestly.

Luna brightened. "That would be wonderful," she told him.

"Me, too," Neville said hesitantly, not quite as comfortable as Harry was with her. "I'd like to be your friend, as well."

Luna was beaming at them. "It must be wonderful having friends!"

The next while was interesting, finding out more about Luna. Harry borrowed her Quibbler, and found some awesome material to tease Sirius about. He had heard his godfather singing during the summer, and he most certainly was NOT a singing sensation! He shook his head at the ridiculous notion of Fudge baking goblins in pies, but figured the underlying idea of the Minister having bad relations with the goblins was true. He had found that many wizards fought against anything that didn't fit their notions of 'normal', and he wasn't a fan of that idea. He had just handed the magazine back to Luna with a thanks, when Ron and Hermione entered their compartment.

"Sweets!" was Ron's first comment, making Harry laugh as he chucked him a Frog.

"How was the prefects' meeting?" Harry asked Hermione.

"It went alright, we got a list of our orders, rules, and duties. We need to patrol every once in a while, but we can stay here for most of it," she said, and looked strangely at Luna.

"Oh, right," Harry said, wanting to slap himself for his rudeness. "Luna Lovegood, meet my friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger."

"Nice to meet you," Hermione said politely.

"'ice to 'eet you," Ron garbled through a pumpkin pasty.

"You both as well," Luna said dreamily, and turned back to the Quibbler.

"So, who are the other prefects?" Harry asked.

"Well, you could probably guess the Slytherin ones," Hermione said with a scowl.

Harry sighed. "Malfoy, huh?"

"And Pansy, which I don't get, since you are supposed to actually have a brain to be a prefect," she ranted. She forced herself to calm down. "Ravenclaw ones are Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil, and Hufflepuff has Ernie MacMillan and Hannah Abbot."

Harry nodded. He planned on getting to know more people from other houses, since it would help with his club to have more allies, and he was glad to know that he knew the prefects, at least, though he didn't know Anthony well.

Harry opened his mouth to comment when the door slid open.

"Well, if it isn't Potty," a voice drawled, and Harry didn't even have to look up.

"Well, if it isn't the inbred prefect, back for his annual visit," Harry said mockingly, making a passable imitation of the same drawl.

Malfoy scowled at him, and moved his hand slightly to where everyone could see it gripping his wand. "You know, I had a talk with my father after you ran away in Diagon Alley," he sneered, clearly gearing up for a story.

"Has it ever entered your tiny little mind that there is a person in this world that doesn't give a damn what your father thinks?" Harry asked, with a thoughtful look on his face.

Draco's face started to get a bit red. "Careful, Potter," he warned. "You see, I am a prefect now, which means that I can assign you detention whenever I see fit."

"Yes, and I can contest your detentions with my head of house, and get your badge removed if they find you are abusing the position," Harry said calmly, remembering all the lessons from Sirius over the summer, and held himself just as he did with Caroline when he first met her. "So I'd be careful with how you use your power."

Malfoy glared at him. "How does it feel to come second best to your sidekick for once?" he sneered, beginning to grasp at straws. He had hoped that mentioning his father would work, but it hadn't.

Ron looked down, blushing, but Harry laughed long and hard, making everyone stare at him in confusion. "Maybe you don't understand this since you don't have any friends, but I am truly happy for both Ron and Hermione and think they were the best ones for the job," he said serenely, and hid a fake yawn. "Now, I'm guessing your creativity for insults is about used up, so unless you are here to brag about something, leave us to the peace we had before you came in here."

Malfoy was red with embarrassment and anger, and whipped his wand out. "Stup-"

"Protego!" Ron and Hermione yelled, wands already out. They had kept a firm hand on their wands from the moment Draco had walked in.

Malfoy's spell hit the double shield and rebounded; he was thrown from the compartment, knocked unconscious. Neville stood and closed the door.

Harry put a hand to his chest to calm his heart, then looked at his friends. "Thanks," he said meaningfully.

Hermione smiled tightly at him. "I told you we had your back," she reminded him. "I really like how you kept your temper, too. You were really calm, and just threw everything he said back at him."

Harry chuckled. "I had a lot of lessons with Sirius over the summer. I can still mouth of to him when I want to, but I figure I'll wait for a few weeks." Part of him was proud of how well he had handled it, another part of him was curious as to how much Lucius had told his son.

Ron was fiddling with the sleeve of his shirt. "Did you really mean what you said to him, though?" he asked quietly.

Harry realized what he meant and smiled. "Of course I did. I'll admit, I was a little jealous when I found out, but I've had more detentions than you both put together, though that isn't saying much, since Hermione's only had one. I get into far too much trouble to be considered for it. Anyway, I'm going to be so busy with my club that I really won't have time for prefect duties."

That seemed to mollify Ron, and Luna and Neville looked up. "What club are you starting?" Neville inquired.

The rest of the train ride was Harry explaining his ideas for the club and reasoning behind it, though a less detailed one than he gave Ron and Hermione, as he didn't want to explain how he knew Flint was a Death Eater now. Harry had already made a list of the spells he wanted to teach, and would ask Dumbledore for some input after the Feast.

Once that topic was exhausted, Luna went back to her magazine, Ron and Neville started a game of chess, and Harry worked with Hermione on Runes.

"You really are advanced," she exclaimed. "I think I'll have to ask Sirius for some help if he was able to teach you this much in only a month!"

Harry smiled at her, and they realized that they would be at the castle shortly, and changed into their robes. Ginny caught up with them as they were disembarking the train, and Harry greeted her warmly. He hadn't seen her since Diagon Alley, and even that was rather brief. The two started catching up as they made their way to the carriages. He was so busy listening to her stories that he didn't notice that more than one of his classmates were giving him the cold shoulder. Once they got to the carriages, though, Harry stopped dead.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, concerned.

Harry shook himself out of it. "The carriages are pulled by Thestrals," he told her. "I never realized…"

"What are Thestrals?" Hermione asked coming up next to him, and looking at him confusedly.

"They can only be seen by people who've seen death," he murmured. "I read about them in a book Sirius lent me last week. I never did before, but after I saw Cedric…"

"Wouldn't you have always seen them, since you saw your parents die?" Ron asked with his usual lack of tact.

"Ronald!" Hermione cried, shocked.

Harry smiled sadly as they climbed into the carriage. "No, I understand. I asked Sirius about it, though I didn't know about these. He says that the brain has to comprehend death, and I was too young to understand."

Hermione nodded, listening with rapt attention, and Harry bit back a chuckle. He knew how much she enjoyed learning something new.

Soon enough, they were entering the Great Hall, said farewell to Luna, and sat in their usual seats. Harry tried to greet the other Gryffindors, but found that quite a few of them were acting very coldly towards him. Looking around the Hall in confusion, he found that he was getting the same look from various people from all the tables. He turned to Ron and Hermione.

"Why is everyone looking like they want to curse me?" he demanded in a whisper.

Ron looked around wildly, and Hermione sighed. "The Prophet ran an article the other day about how you were trying to bring trouble to the Wizarding world by saying that Voldemort is back at full strength, and making false allegations against a Ministry employee that was proven false."

Harry felt a rage like he hadn't felt in two weeks rising up in him. "I get why they don't want to believe Voldemort is strong again, but that's a complete lie! Malfoy isn't a Ministry employee, and they wouldn't even listen to me, much less prove them false!"

Hermione shushed him. "I understand that, but no one else is going to," she said. "Just give them some time, I'm sure they'll come around eventually."

Harry nodded stiffly, but he was fuming. Part of him wondered if the Wizarding world had the same laws against libel and slander as the Muggles. He would find out, and if they did, then he would sue and force them to print a retraction. But how to find out? Wait, Luna's father runs a magazine, maybe she knows the laws? He vowed to talk to her the next day if he had a chance. For now, he would ignore the staring.

"Sorting is about to start," he said calmly instead, but his mind was racing with possibilities.

Hermione stared at him. She had been impressed with how he kept his temper on the train, but she truly had expected one of his fits this time, but he was just as calm as he had been before. "What is going on with you?" she demanded.

Harry looked between her and Ron, who was looking as confused as he felt. "What are you talking about?"

"If this had been last year, I would have been witness to your temper twice now. Heck, if I went through everything you did the last few weeks, I would have lost my temper by now," she said, still amazed.

Harry smiled at her. "Like I said, I learned a lot this summer. I'll explain more later," he told her, then motioned to the Hat, which started to sing.

After it had finished, McGonagall started calling names, and Ron looked at his friends. "That's a bit different," he said.

Harry nodded. "It makes sense, since we're at war now."

"So it wants us to buddy with Slytherins?" Ron demanded. "Fat chance."

"Most of them, maybe," Harry said. "But don't forget, I am going to be inviting them to the club, maybe we'll meet some ones we like."

Hermione smiled at him, but Ron scowled. "I still say you're nuts for doing that, but whatever."

Harry sighed, and they started eating as they plates filled. He tried to start conversations with Dean and Seamus, but they were acting deaf whenever he'd say something. Instead, he worked to get them interested in the conversation by talking about his trip to France and the women he'd met. Before long Harry was smirking inwardly as all his male year mates were listening with rapt attention, and Hermione gave him another appraising look.

Finally the desserts came and went, and Dumbledore stood to make his speech, but was interrupted by a woman in pink.

"Think that's our new Defense prof?" Harry whispered to his friends.

"Has to be," Ron said with a frown. "I've seen her, she works directly under the Minister."

Harry bit back a groan. He could tell that, far from getting help from this teacher, she would more than likely hinder him in his efforts this term. He made a mental note of something to ask Dumbledore later, and listened intently to her speech. It was quite boring, and he saw that there were only a handful of students paying attention. When she ended her speech, Dumbledore took back over, but he didn't bother listening, instead turned and gave Hermione a significant look.

"That was informative," he said in a low voice.

Ron stared between the two. "Are you kidding me? I've heard more lively speeches from Percy about cauldron bottoms!"

Harry smirked, and Hermione huffed. "It really does say a lot about why she's here, though," she said.

Ron finally caved. "What did I miss that you two caught?"

"The Ministry is going to be interfering at Hogwarts this year, which is why she's here. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that Fudge forced Dumbledore to take her, since I can't see him hiring her of his own volition," Harry said, and was starting to feel a little offended by the surprised looks from Hermione. "Is it really that amazing that I can speak my mind?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head quickly. "Not at all, I've just never heard you using logic so easily. But we can talk about that later, it looks like he's about done," she said, and the three looked back up to find people starting to stand.

"Alright, you guys have to show the firsties how to get to the common room, and Dumbledore wants to see me in his office. I'll meet you back in the room," Harry said, and hurried to the Head Table where Snape, Dumbledore, and McGonagall were all waiting for him.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, right this way," the headmaster said, and they made their way to and past the gargoyle that guarded his office. "Fist thing, Severus, if you will?"

Snape walked over. "Pull that collar down, Potter," he demanded. When the neck wound was clear, he looked closely at it, and then pulled out another salve, this one was a pale yellow. He thrust it at the brat. "It looks to be healing as well as can be. Put this on it twice a day, morning and night. I shall take another look at it around Halloween. If you wish to keep it from the other students, you may keep it bandaged, but change that out every morning. However, I shan't be surprised if you want to wear that as a sign proclaiming even more attention to yourself, inflating your already – "

"Severus!" Albus said warningly. "That is quite enough. Thank you."

Snape glared at Harry, but took the hint and left. Albus then smiled at Harry. "Have a seat, though I will make this as quick as I can, since I am going to guess you still have a godfather to contact tonight."

Harry gaped at him. "How do you – "

Dumbledore chuckled. "I have my ways. I also spoke with Sirius while you were on the train coming here. Before I say anything else, this is for you," he said, handing Harry a necklace with a single charm on it.

Harry took it, confused. "Sir?" he asked.

"That is an emergency portkey. The ministry does not know that I've given it to you, and I would appreciate it if you would keep it that way. However, Sirius was concerned about you being without magic. If you feel that you are in danger without your magic to protect you, simply grip that charm, and say 'Phoenix Fire', and it will take you here."

Harry looked closely at it, then back up at the headmaster. He was a bit irritated to notice that he still wasn't looking at him, but he would think about that later. "Thank you, very much," he said instead.

"Now onto happier topics, this is for you," he said, handing the teen a piece of parchment. "This is the charmed parchment for your club. It will prevent anyone from signing who is, or has chosen to become a follower of Voldemort. Is there a way you would like to inform the students about your club?"

Harry had thought about that. "I was thinking of keeping it simple. A notice on the board in each common room, and then an announcement at dinner on Friday? I was thinking of meeting with anyone who is interested on Friday evening right after dinner."

The two professors smiled. "That can be arranged," Minerva said. "Bring me what you would like the parchment to say, and I will get it done for you.

"Now, Sirius mentioned something else this afternoon," the headmaster started, and Harry could tell that he was uncomfortable.

"Yes, Professor?"

"He mentioned that in your Occlumency training, he found that Professor Snape is sometimes unduly harsh on you because of your parentage?"

Harry started. He had honestly expected Sirius to forget about his promise to talk to the headmaster about this. "Yes, sir, sometimes. Though, to be fair, he is that way to all Gryffindors, he's just a bit worse with me."

McGonagall's lips thinned even further, and Albus sighed. "I have spoken with Professor Snape, and I believe that the situation will not repeat. However, if you find that he is acting unacceptably towards any student, yourself included, please come see myself or Professor McGonagall at once, I wish to know about the harm done to any of my students."

Harry nodded, and he could tell that the headmaster thought the conversation was over. "One more thing, professors?" he started.

"Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"I was listening to Professor Umbridge's speech, and-"

"Impressive, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said with a thin smile. "I daresay you were one of the half a dozen students who paid attention to that."

Harry chuckled. "Yes, well it got me to thinking. I doubt she is going to be happy about this club. I'm not sure what exactly gives me that idea, but I can't help but think that I need to tread carefully right now. Is there any way that I can get a list of the spells that should be taught from first through sixth year? Just so that, especially at the beginning, she can see that I am teaching everything according to the usual standards, and not anything ridiculously advanced." Harry stopped himself, realizing that he was rambling.

But Dumbledore was beaming at Harry's shoulder with pride. "Excellent idea. Minerva, would you be so kind as to give that to him in the morning?"

McGonagall nodded, and Harry thanked them as he left. He slipped the necklace over his head, vowing to not take it off, just as a precaution. He walked as Sirius had taught him, with pride and self assurance, to keep anyone from guessing that he was nervous. He hadn't realized how much he relied on his magic until he couldn't use it in the castle. That truly was one of the strangest feelings, like being in a kitchen and not finding food.

Getting back to the common room, he found that most people were still up. "Merlin, Harry, what happened to your neck?" Neville demanded, staring at it.

Harry cursed himself. He'd forgotten to raise his collar again to hide it. He pulled it up now, blocking the wound from view. "Nothing, just something that happened over the summer."

"What, did you get that in the 'attack' that happened this summer?" Seamus sneered.

Harry stared at him. "Seamus, let me ask you something. How long have you known me?"

Seamus looked startled at the question. "Four years to the day," he said.

"In four years, have you known me to lie to any of you about anything? Have I exaggerated something to draw attention to myself?"

"What about the Goblet last year?"

Harry was shocked to find that he didn't remember the boy's name, just that he was now a third year. He mentally made a note to remember people's names, especially those in his own house! "I said repeatedly last year that I did not put my name in that cup, and I cannot force you to believe otherwise. However," he turned back to Seamus. "I believe that I asked you, not him."

Seamus turned pink. "Just because you hadn't yet doesn't mean that you won't!"

Harry counted in French, taking tips from Sirius. "That is true. However, I hope that you will remember that you have known me for four years now, and that I have not told any of you a lie. If something causes you to change your faith in me, then I hope it is because of something you have facts on, not something you read in the paper." When it was clear Seamus would say no more, as he was gaping like a fish, Harry nodded to him, and to the crowd that was now surrounding them. "Is there anyone else who wishes to comment?" he demanded, voice hard. This night was trying his patience like none other, and he really needed to call Sirius to calm down a bit. When no one spoke up, he looked around for the twins, finding them in a corner. He nodded to the crowd and went over to them. People realized that no more was going to be said, and dispersed.

"Not bad, Harrykins," Fred joked.

"Why thank you," Harry said pompously, taking an exaggerated bow. "Now, I know that you want to talk to me about the shop, but that's going to have to wait for a bit longer, there's one thing I wanted to talk to you about."

George glanced at his twin, able to tell that this was serious. "Alright."

"I've been on magical restriction for the last two weeks, and will be for another two," he said quietly. He had been hoping to appeal to most of the House, but since he wasn't sure if they were all on his side, he didn't want to expose his weakness to them just yet.

"You can't do magic?" Fred asked, appalled.

"Nope. I believe that Malfoy knows it as well, and he'll be after me," he whispered.

Fred and George looked furious. "What do you need?" they asked in unison.

Harry grinned. He knew he could count on them. "Don't tell anyone about it, yet, for starters. Right now, I just need you guys to keep a lookout for me. Ron and Hermione are almost always with me, but you can never have too many people watching your back. I just need to know if you hear about anything that Malfoy might be up to, or anyone else for that matter."

The twins looked at each other, and Harry thought they were having a silent conversation. "Can we talk to Lee, Angelina, Katie, and Alicia?" George asked.

"They believe you, we talked about it on the train," Fred continued.

"And it might help to have more people know about it right away," George finished.

Harry thought about it. He agreed, and also grabbed the Creevey brothers, Ginny, Neville, Ron and Hermione. The thirteen of them had a hurried meeting in the corner, getting a lot of strange looks from everyone else who was still in the common room. He gave them a hurried rundown of things, though he skated over it when Alicia asked why he was on restriction. He received promises from all of them to help watch his back to be safe.

Harry thanked them profusely, and bid them goodnight. He and Ron went up to their room and changed into their night clothes. Harry was waiting for people to leave the common room so that he could call Sirius on their mirrors. After another half hour, the coast was clear, and he said goodnight to Ron, and sat down in front of the fire.

"Sirius Black," he said clearly into the mirror. After a minute, the grinning face of his godfather appeared.

"Finally!" he exclaimed. "I was wondering if you'd forgotten about lil' old me."

Harry laughed. "No, I was just waiting for the common room to empty so that I could be alone for a bit."

Sirius looked concerned. "What happened?"

Harry sighed. He never could hide anything from the man. "Did you see the article in the Prophet a few days ago?"

"No," Sirius said, brows furrowed. "I haven't read the paper in a while. What article?"

So Harry explained about the contents of the paper, and the school's reaction to it. "I reminded them that I'm still the same person they knew last year. I know I have the support of some people; the trick now is to find out who all I can trust until the rest come around. And that's just Gryffindors! I really hope that other students still join the club, even if they think I'm an attention seeking prat," Harry said, disgusted.

Sirius gave him a sad smile. "I know it's tough, believe me. But you're right: they've known you for longer than the Prophet's been lying to them. I'm sure they'll come around."

Harry just nodded. "Oh, and thank you for talking to the headmaster about Snape. I honestly thought you'd forget about that."

Sirius stared at him. "Harry, I told you that I always keep my promises, and I promised that you wouldn't have to deal with Snape treating you like that anymore."

"Well, I appreciate it. Dumbledore told me that I should go to him if Snape treats any of us badly."

Sirius nodded. "That's good, as long as you go," he said sternly, knowing that Harry was more of a 'suffer in silence' type.

Harry blushed. "I will. And Snape said that my neck was healing as well as he could expect, and gave me another salve for it. He'll check it again at Halloween," he informed him. Then he found he really wanted to change the subject. "How's Spain?"

Sirius sighed. His godson loved to get off the topic of himself, so unlike his father. "I'm not there yet. Albus told me that they're still keeping an eye on international magical travel, so I'm going the Muggle way again. But it shouldn't take me as long to get there this time."

Harry nodded. "When are you meeting with their head?"

"On Saturday," he said simply. "I'm trying to brush up on my Spanish, since I haven't spoken it in years."

Harry laughed. "You know so many languages that I wouldn't be surprised if you started using them interchangeably."

Sirius threw his head back and laughed. "I might do that occasionally with French and Spanish, since they are so alike, but Gobbledygook and Mermish are completely different from each other and any human languages that I would have to be concussed to interchange them."

"Do you think over Christmas you could start teaching me Gobbledygook?" Harry asked, excited.

Sirius smiled. "We'll see. For now, you just focus on your studies. Its OWL year, so you'll be kept hopping, I'm sure."

"Thanks, Sirius," Harry said, and looked at the time. "Wow, I'd better get to bed, I've got classes in the morning."

"Sounds good. How about day after tomorrow to talk again?" Sirius offered.

Harry nodded. "I'll talk to you then." With that, he smiled as he put away the mirror and went upstairs to his bed.

* * *

The next day, Harry went with Ron and Hermione to the Great Hall for breakfast. He found that he was still receiving glares, but thankfully none from Gryffindor. Many of the students were avoiding his gaze, or looking at him unsurely, not one was openly hostile anymore; a definite improvement.

As they tucked into their meal, Harry pulled out a piece of parchment and wrote his advertisement for his defense club. He had decided to call it the Defense Association, and neatly wrote when they would have their first meeting on Friday after dinner, and who was allowed to join.

Hermione had been reading over his shoulder, and nodded. "That looks great, Harry. Is that going on the notice boards?"

"Yeah," Harry told her. "Professor McGonagall is going to put them up later today."

Said teacher was walking along the rows of students and handing out their schedules. "Mr. Potter, here is yours, don't forget to contact Professor Vector later for your lessons. Mr. Weasley, here is yours, and yours Miss Granger."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said, and handed her the paper. "This is for you."

She glanced at it. "I'll sign it with my approval and have copies put on the notice boards. See me tomorrow after Transfiguration, there's a few more things we need to talk about. I'll give you the information you asked for then," she said, and continued down the line of students to hand out schedules.

Harry looked down at his schedule and suppressed a groan. "Great, I've got Binns, Snape, and Umbridge today."

"Prat," Ron said, scowling at his. "I've also got Trelawney. You don't have another class?"

"I've got Runes after Potions, but I'm excited about that one. Looks like today is going to be a long one," Harry said, and grabbed a bit more food.

History was its usual boring self. Harry had read enough over the summer to know vaguely what Binns was talking about, but it was still highly boring. Instead of listening, he read the text. He had never read his history book except to cram for finals. He figured that this way he was still learning the material, but it was better than sleeping.

After class, Hermione rounded on him. "Do you even try to pay attention in that class?" she demanded. "What on earth were you reading about in there?"

Harry laughed at her. "Hermione, I was reading the History text; I just can't listen to him without falling asleep. At least this way I was still learning the material, right?"

Hermione was shocked that he had been studying in their first class, and Ron was joking about Harry joining the dark side by studying so much.

They got to the dungeons and filed into the classroom. Snape billowed in with his usual temper, and flicked his wand at the board. "Here are you instructions for the Draught of Peace. I warn you, this potion will most likely be on your OWLs later in the year. This potion is quite dangerous if brewed incorrectly, so I trust that all of you will pay close attention to what you are doing," he snapped, gaze lingering on Harry and Neville.

Harry suppressed a grin. This was the reason he spent so much time over the summer brewing, and he had a full Potions satchel to prove it. He stayed where he was and carefully wrote the instructions on a notepad. This potion wasn't in their books, and he knew that with the steam it would be hard to see after a while. As soon as he was done with that, he went to the cupboard and selected the ingredients, taking them back to his station, where he carefully prepared each one exactly as it needed to be. Looking around, he found that a lot of people were already brewing, but he ignored them. He went step by step, always double checking a step before he made it, but he was relaxed. The Draught of Peace was not much harder than a blood replenishing potion, and took half the time, too! He was surprised to find that he was actually enjoying himself during a Potions class.

Snape was wandering around, checking each cauldron to see how they were doing. He complimented Draco's, and went over to the Gryffindor tables. He sneered at Ron's and Neville's. Hermione's he ignored, knowing that it would be acceptable, and grinned maliciously as he went over to Potter's. He was stunned when he realized that the potion was better than Granger's! Looking closer, he saw that the brat had written the instructions down, which was pretty smart, and his ingredients were already prepared and ready to be used. Had Granger helped him?

"Potter!" he snarled.

Harry had known it was coming, and didn't drop the hellebore he was adding. He put in three drops rather than the recommended two, stirred, and then looked up once the potion was stable. "Yes, sir?" he asked innocently.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded, hearing the snickers from his snakes.

Harry worked on his confused face. "Draught of Peace, sir. Is there something wrong with it?"

Snape hesitated. In truth, it was a better potion than he had seen in years. "How did you get the steam to shimmer?" he asked instead. "I rarely see anything close to this."

Harry smiled pleasantly, adding the next ingredient needed. "That's easy. I realized that only adding two drops of hellebore doesn't allow the properties to be fully absorbed, so I added three, which contributed to the potion more than two."

Snape stared at him. It had been years of teaching since he had found a student who was willing to alter potions, understanding them well enough. It certainly had never been a Gryffindor. He turned and walked away without a word. "You have fifteen minutes to finish your potions and bottle them," he yelled at the class.

The trio left the dungeons, and Harry found that he was being stared at for a completely different reason than before. "How did you know all of that?" Hermione demanded.

"I brewed a lot over the summer, and I read my intro books. I found that I can actually enjoy brewing, which is good, since you need Potions to become an Auror."

"Merlin mate, are you becoming another Hermione?" Ron asked, getting a little annoyed.

Harry stopped. "Not that it would be a bad thing," he said to Hermione, "but no. I'm just taking a lot more interest in my studies this year, especially since its OWL year."

Ron just grumbled a little and went to the North Tower, while Hermione and Harry went to Runes.

Professor Babbling was a wonderful teacher, and only gave Harry a smile and a nod when he walked in, without giving him special attention, which he greatly appreciated. Most of the class was review of the past two years, and Harry found he was almost disappointed when class ended, though she wasn't the teacher Sirius was. He didn't even mind the long essay that she assigned, because he found that this was a much more enjoyable way of spending his time than Divination.

The two were discussing their assignment on their way to lunch and joined by Ron, who was grumbling about his Divination homework. They had an enjoyable lunch, even talking with Dean and Seamus, and Angelina came to tell him that Quidditch trials for Keeper were on Saturday afternoon.

"Sounds great," Harry told her. "I'll be there."

The fifth years made their way to Defense, and Harry was regretting not talking a Calming Draft, as he had a feeling he'd need it. There was something about Umbridge that he couldn't explain, but he felt an immense dislike for her when he'd listened to her speech at the Opening Feast.

The three found seats in the back and pulled out their books and wands. Harry was a bit nervous, since this was his first class where he couldn't use magic, unlike the rest of them.

Their teacher walked inside the classroom. "Good afternoon, class," she said in a sickly sweet voice. A few people mumbled a greeting, and she frowned at them. "That won't do. When I greet you, I expect you to respond 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge,' understand? Let's try that again. Good afternoon, class."

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," they all chanted, looking at each other, and wondering why she was speaking to them as though they were five.

"These are our course goals for the term. Please copy them, and then turn to chapter one of your text and begin reading."

Harry pulled out parchment and copied the writing, and frowned when he realized something. Looking over at Hermione, he could tell that she had spotted it as well, though Ron had already started reading the text, along with most of the class.

Hermione raised her hand, waiting until everyone was looking at her rather than their books.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" Umbridge demanded, upset that she wasn't obeying her orders.

"I had a question about your course aims," she said simply.

Umbridge smirked. "Well, I find they are easy to understand if you read them carefully," she said.

"I was wondering why it mentions nothing about using defensive spells?" Hermione asked. "Is that not the point of this class?" As she said that, the rest of the class snapped their heads up to double check the board for themselves.

Umbridge's smirk fell, and she glared at the girl. "You are not a Ministry official, and therefore have no understanding about this matter." That said, she calmed slightly. "I understand that you all have been exposed to a variety of teachers that have left you quite lacking, which is why this theory based course is so vital, before you fall even further behind," she said.

Harry raised his hand, waiting until she called on him. "Isn't simply learning the theory going to drag us further behind?" he inquired. "There is a practical portion on our OWLs, and we have yet to learn many of the spells we'll need."

"If you study the theory hard enough, you will find no problem when it comes time to use the spells," she snapped.

"That is not true," Hermione protested. "I can tell you the entire theory behind the Patronus Charm, but I only know of one person who can cast it well enough to defend themselves."

"You clearly have not studied the theory hard enough," she said, and the students gaped at the implication that Hermione of all people hadn't studied hard enough. "I doubt that there is a single person in this room able to conjure that spell correctly, and in the right circumstances."

"I used that spell to protect myself, Hermione, and my godfather when I was thirteen!" Harry exclaimed. "Even fully trained professionals are unable to cast some spells correctly the first time!"

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter," she yelled. "There is no reason to tell such lies in my classroom. This theory based class is meant to protect you, having you learn in a secure environment."

"If we are attacked, that it certainly won't be risk free!" Ron called.

"Students raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class," she told him stiffly. "Besides, who would want to attack children as young as yourselves?"

"Lord Voldemort, perhaps?" Harry asked sarcastically, his temper rising dangerously fast.

Umbridge glared hard at him. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named might be back, but he his vastly weakened in his current state. I repeat, there is nothing wanting to attack you! Now, return to your texts," she commanded, voice getting higher in her anger.

Harry stood, rage coursing through him. "I can accept that you don't want to believe the truth about Voldemort. However, what about his followers, the Death Eaters? They are a very dangerous lot, and have no problem with attempting to harm students!"

"Harry!" Hermione whisper yelled.

Umbridge was frozen for a moment. "Detention, Mr. Potter. I will not allow you to continue your lies in my classroom. Fully trained Aurors will handle the Death Eaters, and they would never allow a student to be harmed."

"Wouldn't we need to know these spells if any of us wanted to become Aurors?" Susan Bones asked. The class was Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, and though she didn't want to get in the middle of this argument, she was upset as well. "Madam Bones has commented that fewer of the new recruits know what they are doing, and it's taking longer to train them, regardless of how much theory they know!"

Umbridge seemed flabbergasted as the fifteen year old girl had the gall to say that to her, then she scowled. "Madame Bones should not be discussing these things with mere children, I must have a word with her about that later. However, that is not the current topic we are discussing. I will not be told what to do by children, and you shall do as I say, because…"

"Because clearly you want us to fail all of our OWLs," Harry muttered, but clearly not quietly enough, as she heard him.

"Enough!" She yelled. Then she calmed down again, and spoke in a girlish voice. "Come here, Mr. Potter," she ordered, writing something on a parchment. "Take this to Professor McGonagall."

Harry grabbed his belongings, and stormed from the room. Once outside, he practiced his Occlumency meditation to help him relax slightly. He needed to be collected when he spoke with his head, or it could make it even worse. Once he was sure he was calmer, he walked to McGonagall's office, knocking lightly.

"Mr. Potter? Aren't you supposed to be in Defense right now?" she asked.

"My professor sent me to see you, ma'am," he said politely, handing her the note.

She ushered him inside as she read the note. "Have a seat," she told him stiffly. "It says here that you have been trying to spread lies to the rest of the class in an effort to incite a panic among your classmates," she read to him.

Harry counted to twenty in French. "That is how she views it, yes."

McGonagall stared at him. "Why don't you tell me what happened," she suggested.

Harry told her what was said, even admitting losing his temper with her. "I was not referencing the kidnapping, which they are convinced did not happen, but the initial attack upon Sirius and me."

Minerva was frustrated. She knew that Harry really hadn't done anything wrong except lose his temper, but she couldn't override another professor's punishments. "Mr. Potter, she has assigned you detention for the next five evenings, starting at seven beginning tonight."

Harry fought to keep his expression from showing his anger. "I see," he said. "At least it still gives me a chance to meet briefly with students who want to join the Defense Association," he said as lightly as he could, even though inside he was seething.

"Indeed," she said back. She handed him a tin of cookies. When he took one, she continued. "I cannot prevent the detentions. All I can do is to warn you to watch yourself around her, as you know why she is here."

Harry took his leave shortly after, citing his massive amounts of homework. He also found where Professor Vector's office was, so that he could figure out when he was going to have his private lessons.

He went straight to the common room, sitting down at one of the tables and beginning his homework. As much as he would love to put it off for later, he had detention in the evenings now, and wouldn't have time for it later. He was nearly done with his Runes homework when Ron and Hermione came back.

"What the hell was that all about?" Ron asked. "Throwing you out of class for calling her on her teaching?"

Harry nodded. "And giving me detention for the entire week," he said blandly.

Hermione gasped. "That's a bit excessive," she said loudly.

Harry agreed, but there was nothing for it. They sat around talking until it was time to leave for dinner, and Harry found himself fighting his anger again. It seemed that news of his Defense lesson had spread quickly, and he found that even more people were starting to believe the story from the Prophet. But he kept his head down, finishing his Runes essay while they ate. After supper, he attempted to start his History essay, but found his concentration waning. Soon enough, it was time to head to detention. He bid farewell to Ron and Hermione who were looking at him with pity, and left for Umbridge's office.

* * *

**For clarification, before I get a lot of confused readers asking about it, when the Ministry arrested and tried Pettigrew, they were forced to accept the fact that Voldemort was back. However, Fudge being the great coward that he is, apparently decided that he was still very weakened by the ritual and the years without a body, so he was not a threat to anyone. It was mentioned in chapter 2, but it was brief, and I wasn't sure if everyone would remember. **

**Hope you liked, and the next will hopefully be up before the new year :-)  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**The scene you have all been waiting for: the Detention! I did vary a bit from canon on this, which you'll find out soon. Everyone had given differing opinions on how I should have this play out, but I went with were I felt comfortable, staying true to my interpretations of the characters.  
**

* * *

When Harry entered the office, he was horrified to find it completely different than it had been in years prior, and was even more hideous than her wardrobe. It was pink, frilly, and downright frightening. The teacher was sitting at the desk, smiling up at him.

"Good evening, Mr. Potter," she said sweetly.

"Good evening, Professor Umbridge," he said.

"I see that you are learning. Now, on to your detention. Have a seat," she said, pointing to where she had a small table and chair, already with a quill and parchment waiting for him.

He could do lines, he thought. It was a boring detention, but he could do it. "Is there ink for me to use?" he asked, polite as he could as he took a seat and picked up the strangely sharp quill.

"Oh, you don't need ink," she said innocently. "You will write 'I must not tell lies,' until I tell you to stop."

Harry rolled his eyes a bit, wondering what on earth she meant by that, but wrote the first line, then gasped as his right hand flared in pain. The words written on the parchment were in shining red ink, and then appeared on his hand, disappearing quickly. He didn't need to look up to know that his professor was smirking triumphantly at him.

He refused to say another word, and continued with writing the lines as his mind started racing. Was this legal? Could she actually get away with doing this? Of course, his detentions were never what he would have considered 'normal', but this took the cake, by far. However, there were times that he would scrub cauldrons for Snape until his hands bled, so was this any different? Should he leave the room now and inform a professor what she was doing, or even call Sirius? As soon as that thought entered his mind, he rejected it. Umbridge was here because of Fudge, so whatever punishment she gave, he would have to complete, either right then, or make it even worse after he complained. So, he continued what he was doing.

After an hour, his hand was in agony, becoming quickly inflamed and swollen. But he kept his mouth shut, refusing to do anything other than mutilate his hand over a hundred times, or was it two hundred? Harry stopped keeping count after 121, and forced his mind behind his Occlumency shields, using it to handle the pain. When that stopped working, he starting thinking about the potions books he'd read over the summer. There were a few dark potions that the book wouldn't give the instructions for that required a person's blood. Harry had already known that, as Wormtail had used his blood for the darkest of all potions.

Was that part of what Umbridge wanted? Did she need his blood for something? Well, he might be willing to handle her detentions, but he would make sure to take care not to leave behind his blood.

It was after midnight when Umbridge stopped him. "I think that is all for tonight, Mr. Potter. You may return to your common room," she said indifferently, reaching a hand out for the parchment.

Harry laid down the cursed quill and glared at her. "Ma'am, I have completed the detention as you required. However, I will not allow you to keep anything which has my blood," he told her firmly, keeping the parchment firmly under his hand, making no move to hand it to her.

She was startled, amazed that he was speaking so clearly when he was likely in agony, but she wasn't going to back down. "The paper. Now."

Harry stood his ground. "I can take this with me and destroy it later, or I can watch you while you destroy it, but those are the only options, professor. I repeat, I will not allow you to have access to my blood."

Umbridge stifled a growl, getting annoyed with the brat questioning her. "Very well, Mr. Potter," she snapped, and didn't wait for him to release the parchment, but lit it on fire, which burnt his hand slightly.

Harry gritted his teeth against the added pain and nodded at her once. "Good night, Professor Umbridge," he snapped, and took his leave.

Thankfully, he didn't meet anyone on his way back to the Tower, and the common room was empty as well. He hurried upstairs to grab his satchel and took it to the bathroom. He pulled out the burn paste, the salve Snape had given for his neck, and a pain potion. He hurried to finish, and was asleep the moment his head touched the pillows.

* * *

The next day passed in a haze. He and Ron were the first ones at breakfast.

"So how was detention last night?" Ron asked as he started eating.

Harry shrugged noncommittally. "Alright, I guess."

"What's she have you doing?"

Harry thought for a moment. He knew that he should tell his best friend, but found that he couldn't. He didn't know why, but part of him really didn't want anyone else to know what was going on behind the closed doors of his detentions. "Lines."

Ron grinned. "That's not so bad, huh?"

Harry forced a grin and nodded, starting his own meal. After he ate, he went to see Professor Vector, and they found a time that would work for them to meet twice a week. Harry made sure that it was in the early afternoon, so that it never interfered with his detentions. After that, he went to Transfiguration, where he spent the period looking longingly at his fellow students, who were working on Vanishing Spells. How he wished he could join them! But instead, he spent the period rereading the theory behind the spell, and memorizing the wand movements and incatation. After class let out, he stayed behind to talk about his club. McGonagall offered use of her room, since it was one of the largest, and he accepted. He asked if she though Professor Flitwick would be willing to sponsor the club, since he was a dueling champion years ago, and she smiled at the idea, and suggested that he speak to his Charms teacher. She also said that her door was always open if he started having problems with anyone in the club. He thanked her profusely and hurried to his next class.

Care of Magical Creatures went as well as he could expect. Hagrid was clearly not back from his mission yet, and Professor Grubbly-Plank was back teaching them. They learned about bowtruckles, which he had never studied before. Malfoy was staring at him, but kept his mouth shut for once, which Harry was grateful for. He wasn't so foolish as to believe that it would last, but it was nice for the moment.

Charms went by quickly. The class was reviewing the Summoning Spell, which Harry was already quite proficient at. Therefore, Flitwick spent the time talking with Harry about his use of the spell during the First Task. Once again, Harry stayed behind to speak with his professor, told him about the club, and asked if he would sponsor.

Flitwick had been stunned but flattered to be asked, and he accepted. He agreed to meet with Harry immediately following the Keeper tryouts on Saturday to talk about what he had planned to do.

After lunch, Harry took his things to the library, and stayed until dinner. He had finished his essay for Snape, the bowtruckle drawing, and the History essay. He would tackle his Transfiguration homework the following day. Harry realized that with his detentions being over five hours long, he would have very little free time, especially if he kept receiving such large amounts of homework.

At dinner, Harry worked hard to keep the conversation lighthearted, debating Quidditch with Ron, Seamus, Dean, and a few of the younger years. Soon enough, the majority of the table was talking, and Harry made a mental note of who was who.

His second detention passed much the same as the first. His hand was getting worse this time, and Harry knew that it would stop healing pretty soon. Just like the first, he refused to leave until she had destroyed the parchment.

When Harry returned to his dorm, he suddenly remembered that he was supposed to talk with Sirius! He hurried to his bag and pulled out the mirror, running down to the common room, which was thankfully deserted. "Sirius Black," he said clearly.

"It's about time, kiddo!" Sirius said with a grin. "You keep calling this late, I'm going to get nervous that you'll forget!"

Harry smiled as he relaxed. He had never realized how much his godfather helped put him in a good mood. "Sorry, I had a detention."

Sirius did a double take to make sure that he wasn't talking with the boy's father. "It's only your second day, though!"

Harry hung his head. He didn't want his godfather to be disappointed in him. "I know. I have them for the rest of the week. I just hope I can keep up with all the homework we're getting."

"Who gave you a week's detention? And what was it for?" Sirius asked.

"I got it from Professor Umbridge, our new DADA teacher. We got into a bit of an argument in class yesterday."

"What was it about?" he asked.

"I objected to the fact that she is only going to teach us theory, no actual spell work. She says that it will help us catch up to where we need to be at, and the first time we'll use the spells will be on our OWL examination."

Sirius stared at him, horrified. "She's doing no actual teaching?"

Harry shook his head. "She said that no one would want to hurt students like us," he mocked. "I mentioned Voldemort, and she gave me a detention, and then I mentioned the attack on the two of us by the Death Eaters, since they clearly had no qualms hurting a student, and she gave me detention for the week, accusing me of spreading lies."

Sirius stared at him, wishing that this was a prank his godson was playing on him, but he knew Dolores Umbridge, just by reputation thankfully. She's a nasty piece of work, and it was only her status as a pure blood that kept her hired. "Harry, I'm sorry, pup. That's the most ridiculous reason to give detention, and believe me, I've heard them all. What does she have you do for the detentions?"

Harry hesitated. Part of him wanted to spill and tell someone about the hours of pain that she was putting him through, but he resisted. While he trusted Sirius enough to tell him, his godfather was on a mission for the Order. If he knew that Harry was being mistreated by yet another professor, he wouldn't hesitate to come back, and the Order needs allies. "Lines," he said, giving the same excuse that he'd given Ron.

Sirius winced good-naturedly. "What line?"

Harry growled. "I must not tell lies."

Sirius clenched his hands around the mirror. That witch! Then he sighed. "I'm sorry, Harry. Just try to watch what you say around her. How's Snape been?"

"First lesson went alright. He seemed pretty upset that my potion was perfect, which makes all those hours brewing SO worth it," Harry grinned at him.

Sirius barked a laugh. "And how's your neck?"

Harry shrugged. "It still hurts once in a while, but Snape says it's healing as well as we could expect." Suddenly remembering something, he grinned even wider.

Sirius recognized the shit eating grin from James. "Uh oh, what's going on?"

"Sirius, I am very disappointed in you," Harry pretended to pout. "How could you keep secrets from me?"

Sirius racked his brains, trying to think of what his godson was talking about. "What do you mean?"

Harry's grin got wider. "I had no idea that you are the lead singer of the Hobgoblins! Why did you never tell me?"

The look on Sirius's face was so shocked that Harry couldn't take it, and laughed hysterically for a few minutes. "What are you talking about?" Sirius demanded with a laugh.

Harry calmed himself slightly. "There's an article in the Quibbler that says your real name is Stubby Boardman, and you are the lead singer of the Hobgoblins."

Sirius laughed long and hard about that. "I'll have to find a copy of that," he chuckled. "Maybe send one to Remus, I'm sure he'd get a kick out of it."

Harry wiped a tear away. Blimey, he needed that laugh. "I'll grab a copy here and owl it to him. I haven't seen him since Diagon Alley."

Sirius smiled at him. "I'm sure he'd like to hear from you. But, it's getting late, you should head to bed."

Harry grumbled, though he was still smiling slightly. "Alright. How about I call you again on Saturday night?"

Sirius thought about that for a moment and nodded. "Wait for me to call you," he amended. "I'm just not sure when I'll be back from the meeting."

"Sounds smart," Harry told him. "I'll talk to you later, then."

"Take care, kiddo."

* * *

The rest of the week passed slowly for the teen. His detentions were a nightmare, and after the third, his hand stopped healing. It wasn't much of a surprise, really. Harry wrapped a few bandages around it to stem the bleeding once he'd left, and was grateful that everyone was asleep. He still didn't know exactly why he was so insistent on keeping this a secret, but he couldn't help it. He wished that it was still summer, and he was in France with Sirius, but it wasn't so.

He felt bad that he never had the chance to spend much time with his friends and year mates, but his homework situation was getting desperate now. He was averaging four hours of sleep a night, and spending every waking minute reading or doing homework, and was skipping half his meals to keep up.

He enjoyed his Arithmancy lessons with Professor Vector, who was quite patient with him. Unfortunately, Vector assigned a ridiculous amount of homework to help him catch up, and he spent several hours on it, trying to keep up.

At last, it was Friday during dinner. Harry was glad of this, because it meant that not only was it his last detention, but he was addressing people for his club. He was very nervous while he ate, eating very little, gaining a disapproving look from Hermione. He shrugged at her, taking a small bite of chicken.

Soon enough, Dumbledore stood and addressed them. "As I am sure you have all noticed, there was a sign posted to your notice boards this past week for a Defense club being offered for third years and up in all four Houses. Would the first and second years, as well as all of those not interested in joining please leave the hall?"

Harry was startled as he watched very few people who were eligible actually leaving. He turned a wide eyed gaze to his friends. "Blimey," he breathed.

"Mr. Potter, the floor is yours," Dumbledore said, indicating the front of the Hall.

Harry gulped slightly and nodded. He stood with shaking legs as he made his way to the front of the Hall. He got up to the front and nodded at them all, as he discreetly wiped his sweaty hands on his robes as he swallowed.

"Good evening. As Professor Dumbledore said, I am here to invite all of you to join the Defense Association, the DA for short. This club is designed to help you learn the spells and skills required to survive when you are not at Hogwarts, and might find yourself under attack."

Professor Umbridge was scowling at him, and was about to interrupt when McGonagall hissed at her, and she bit her tongue.

"Now," he started, looking at the Slytherin table. "I do mean it when I say that all four Houses are welcome to join. However, there is a catch," he said, eyes sweeping all the tables, making sure that he did not look at any in particular. He drew the parchment out from his robes. "This parchment has been charmed rather extensively by the headmaster himself. Any student who has joined the Death Eaters, or has already decided to join that side once they are able to will not be able to join, and no one who does not sign this parchment will be able to be a member of the club. However, since I'm sure anyone here who falls into that category will want to save face, I shall repeat. Anyone who does not want to join this club for any reason, please leave the Hall now."

Draco and over half of the Slytherin table, along with half a dozen Ravenclaws, a handful of Hufflepuffs, and two or three upper year Gryffindors left the Hall rather quickly.

Harry nodded as they filed out, but made sure to remember as many faces as he could. "Now that's taken care of, please come up and sign," he said, laying the parchment on the table and stepping back slightly.

For a moment, no one in the Hall moved, then Ron, Ginny, and Hermione stood at the same time, followed quickly by his Quidditch team. Within twenty minutes, it snowballed into the rest of the students deciding to sign. His warning had apparently worked well, because no one had any problems signing the parchment.

"Now, I have asked Professor Flitwick to be the sponsor for this club, as he has quite a bit of dueling experience." He needed to pause with a smile as the Ravenclaw table erupted into applause. He grinned at them. "Yes, thank you again, professor," he said, nodding at the man, who nodded back. "We have also been allowed to use the Transfiguration room, courtesy of Professor McGonagall." Once again, he needed to pause as the Gryffindor table this time started clapping and cheering. "Now, I had no idea when I started this club that there would be so much interest, so I think I'm going to have to split you all into two groups, one that is beginner, and one that is intermediate to advanced."

"Hem Hem," Umbridge simpered. Harry turned to look at her. "Advanced? You are no more than a fifth year yourself, Mr. Potter. How would you be able to teach these students?"

Harry nodded at her, though he worked hard to contain his glare. "An excellent question, professor. I have a list of all the spells that each year is required to know, and will be working off of that. In addition, when I was preparing for the Tri Wizard Tournament last year, I and two of my friends worked hard to learn more spells that would be useful during the final task."

"How do we know that you will be fair to all four Houses, and not show favorites?" Snape demanded, thinking about the snakes that had joined.

Harry nodded to his second most hated professor. "Another good question," he allowed, then sobered quite a bit, looking around at the teachers, then at the students. "Everyone here deserves the chance to learn the skills needed to defend themselves. I was given the chance over the summer, and now I wish to pass that along. In times like this, we need to remember what the Sorting Hat tells us; that we must unite, or we'll be divided from within," he quoted, getting an appreciative look from many, and a calculating look from even more. "That is also the reason for the sponsor, professor," he said, getting back to Snape's question. "Professor Flitwick, I have found, is fair to all houses in addition to his dueling skills, therefore he will be able to help if things get out of control."

Snape just nodded curtly at the boy, surprised in spite of himself. He would keep an eye on his snakes, though, to make sure that they were being treated fairly, which he was sure to be beyond a Potter's abilities.

"Are there any other questions?" Harry asked.

"When are we meeting?" Hermione asked. "And what spells are we starting with?"

"Two great questions," Harry grinned. "For the first, I thought we would start our first meeting next Saturday evening at seven, immediately after supper. All members will attend, and we will start with basic spells, such as the Disarming Spell, Stunning, Shield Charms and the like. Those who I believe are more advanced will be taken aside and moved to the second group. We will nail down a more defined schedule at that time," he told them. Harry looked at the time, and realized that his detention would be starting quickly. "Well, if that is all, I will see you in a week," he told them, and stepped back to the Gryffindor table, shocked as applause rang through the hall.

"Nicely done, mate," Ron complimented. "I can't wait to see what the lessons are like. Why are you waiting another week to start?"

Hermione huffed in annoyance. "Ronald, you know exactly why!"

Ron thought for a moment, and then smacked his forehead. "Right, sorry," he muttered, embarrassed.

Harry waved him off. "No worries. But I have to get back to detention with Umbridge. With any luck, this will be the last one; I don't want to give her a reason to assign me another week's worth."

His friends nodded fervently. They both knew that something was going on between Harry and Umbridge, but the raven haired teen refused to say anything to them about it.

Harry hurried to the DADA professor's office, actually beating her there, which he was relieved about. She met him there less than a minute later and opened the door. "Inside, Mr. Potter," she ordered, and pulled out a parchment and the thrice damned quill, setting them on the table. "You know what to do."

Harry just nodded at her, and started working on the lines. Though the pain never got better, he was getting good at distracting himself so that he wasn't thinking about it. Unfortunately, it was a technique that he'd learned over the years at the Dursleys, and he was rather pissed that he was having to utilize it again.

Umbridge caught the glare that the student sent at her, and smirked. "You have no one to blame but yourself, Mr. Potter," she simpered. "You deserve to be punished for telling such nasty, attention seeking lies. I only hope that this will teach you that I do not tolerate liars in my classrooms."

Harry just gritted his teeth at her statements and focused on the Runes that he'd learned that day, reviewing them and their properties over and over in his head until he was sure he knew them. Once that was finished, he moved on to his Arithmancy lessons. It was a bit harder to do so, since he needed to be able to write everything down, but he started at the earlier work, reviewing in his mind things he already knew.

Umbridge scowled when she realized that he wasn't going to give her a reaction, but she held her tongue, knowing that she would find another reason to give him detentions no matter what. When it was nearly one in the morning, she stopped him. "That is enough, Mr. Potter," she snapped, and scorched the parchment before he had removed his hands, which burned them rather badly. "You may go."

Harry's eyes were watering with the added pain, but he refused to let her see him cry, so he simply nodded. "Good night, Professor," he said quietly, and double checked the desk for any blood drops. Finding only one, he used his robe to wipe it clean and left. He needed to stop a few times along the way, the pain in his hands was overwhelming. Just as he got to the Fat Lady, he spotted Snape further down the corridor, and hurried to get inside. He didn't need another detention so quickly.

He hobbled up to his room where everyone was asleep and grabbed his satchel. He pulled out the burn paste, a pain potion, and the salve for his neck and went to work. He was a bit clumsier than usual because of the pain, but he painstakingly did everything he needed. He wrapped a spare bandage around his hand, as he didn't want anyone to see the cuts. He'd been lucky so far, and no one had noticed, but he had Keeper tryouts the next day, and was sure that it would be noticed. He would find an excuse, he knew. Then he growled, realizing the pattern that was developing, as it was the same one from when he lived on Privet Drive. When he finally crawled into bed, he was fuming, but went through his Occlumency lessons. Though he continued to have the strange dreams of corridors, he found that it was easier to control the odd emotions when he woke if he did the meditation exercises.

* * *

The next day, Harry woke before his class mates and sighed in happiness. Finally, his detentions were over, and he was in for a good day. True, he had a lot of homework to finish that weekend, but first there was Quidditch, then he was meeting with Flitwick to discuss the DA.

He made his way to the common room, finding Hermione already at one of the tables practicing the Vanishing spells.

"Morning, Harry!" she said cheerfully.

"Hey Hermione, how's the spell coming?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

"Difficult, but I'm getting better at it," she told him. Then she noticed the dejected look. "I'm sure you'll get it quickly next week. When are you seeing Madame Pomfrey to ask if you can do magic again?"

"Next Friday after classes," he said with a relieved sigh. "I really hope that I'll be off restriction by then. I know that I'm just missing out on Charms and Transfiguration, but with all the work we've been doing, I don't want to fall behind."

She just nodded consolingly at him, and put her things away. "You want to get some breakfast?" she offered, and he nodded; so the two made their way to the Great Hall, being the first two present.

Harry filled his plate, knowing that he would need the energy. They were quickly joined by the Gryffindor Quidditch team and the rest of the Houses filed in shortly afterwards.

"Hey Ron," Harry said curiously, looking at the broom that Ron had. He knew that Ron had gotten a new broom for making Prefect, but he hadn't seen his mate riding it yet. Then he got excited. "Are you trying out?" he demanded.

Ron blushed, looking at the twins who were smirking. "Yeah, thought I'd give it a go," he mumbled.

"That's great!" Harry enthused. "Why didn't you tell me? I could've helped you practice."

Ron shrugged as he started eating. "You've been so busy lately with your new classes and with detention, you didn't really have the time."

Harry immediately felt horrible. His own friend didn't think he had time for him! "Ron," he said quietly. When he looked up, Harry continued. "We could have gone out during the mornings or afternoons. But how about we hurry to eat, and I'll run through some things with you before tryouts start?"

Ron perked up quickly and nodded. They finished eating rather quickly and Harry ran to get his Firebolt. He hadn't ridden since they'd been in France, but that was alright. The two kicked off, Harry with the Quaffle, and Ron got into position.

"Ready?" Harry called, and he saw Ron nod. He went across the field, purposefully going slower than normal. He was the only one with such a fast broom, after all. He aimed at the hoop where Ron was and threw it.

Ron missed it by inches and blushed. "Sorry," he said quietly, getting the ball and chucking it back at Harry.

"Shake it off," Harry ordered, flying away again. They did this several times before Ron was able to stop the goals every time on the center hoop. "I'm going to go for the other ones now," he warned.

Ron didn't have Wood's skill, but he wasn't bad, Harry decided. Ron was good at being able to tell when Harry was feinting to one side, and had made some daring saves, though he did get flustered easily. It was more impressive, Harry knew, because his own Chaser skills had improved over the summer with all the mock games he'd played with Sirius. They made their way to the ground when it was ten minutes before tryouts started, and people were filing onto the field.

"Alright," Angelina started once she realized everyone who was coming was there. "We have," she counted quickly, "four hopefuls. Adrian, you first. Team, grab a Quaffle each and meet me in the air," she ordered, and the team hurried to obey.

Adrian was alright, making some outstanding saves, but fumbled the easy ones.

"Geoffrey, you're next," she called down, and the third year flew up. They could immediately tell that he was talented, but whined at the difficulty they were giving him, and then complained that the shots were too easy. Harry could tell by the look on Angelina's face that no matter how good he was, he wasn't going to make it.

"Vicky, you're up," she called instead.

Harry recognized the fourth year from his first night. She was a fairly quiet girl, but was very involved with quite a few clubs, from what he'd been able to tell. Harry's heart sank as he realized that she was quite good, making more saves than either Adrian or Geoffrey.

"Ron, come on up," Angelina called.

Ron was pale and shaking, nervous at being last. Harry sent him a grin. "Shake it off," he whispered, as he was closest.

Ron just nodded at him, and they began. Harry was impressed, and glad that he'd had a chance to work with his friend before the tryouts, as Ron was using his advice.

"Alright team, let's talk," Angelina told them, and lead the other five away from the hopefuls. "Talk to me," she ordered.

Harry grinned. He could tell that the Chaser was taking her placement as Captain seriously. "I thought Vicky did rather well, but I heard her saying that if practice is the same time as Charms Club, she'd put that first," he said quietly.

Angelina pursed her lips. "That's not good. As a new Keeper, they have to make all practices. What else?"

Katie stepped in next. "Adrian was alright, but I don't see why he couldn't make those saves, some of those were really easy."

Alicia nodded. "I honestly think that Ron was the best out there today," she said, sending Harry a wink.

The twins grinned. "Well, he'd better be," Fred said.

"With us and Charlie as brothers?" George asked.

"He should obviously have talent," Fred finished.

Harry smiled at them. "I agree. He's got the raw talent, and he's new to the broom he's on. I think with some work, he'd be great out there."

They quickly agreed, and the team made their way back to the four nervous students. "Alright, we've made our decision," Angelina started. "Congratulations, Ron, you're on the team," she said, beaming as her new Keeper punched the air with a fist.

"YES!" Ron yelled. He was amazed that he'd actually made it. Prefect was worth it, at the very least for the broom he'd gotten.

Harry punched his friend's shoulder. "Good job, you earned it," he said, grinning even wider at the grateful look.

The new team made their way to lunch, digging in after the grueling day. Hermione was already there with her Arithmancy homework and looked up as they walked in. She wasn't the brightest witch for no reason, and could see right away that her friend had made the team. "Ron, you did it!" she yelled, giving him a hug.

Ron blushed as the twins catcalled, but ignored them. "Yep, I did," he said proudly.

Harry was still grinning as he took a seat, pulling some food onto his plate. "You know, I knew that day on the Hogwart's Express that we would be teammates," Harry told him.

Ron shoved his shoulder playfully. "Get off it," he said, ears turning red.

"Alright, I didn't know it, since I barely knew about Quidditch," Harry laughed. "But I hoped when I made the team that you would, too."

Hermione smiled at him as Ron chuckled. "You're mental," he declared.

Harry barked a Sirius-like laugh through his chicken. "You've been telling me that for years."

* * *

As soon as Harry had finished eating, he made his way to his Charms professor's office. It was his first time to Flitwick's office, though he had been to several other offices. Harry knocked twice, and the door opened quickly.

"Mr. Potter, please, come in," Flitwick said excitedly.

Harry walked in and settled in a rather comfortable chair. "Thank you for seeing me."

"Not a problem. Now, tell me what you have planned," Flitwick said, sitting next to him rather than behind the desk.

"I truly wasn't expecting so many people to be interested, to be honest with you, which is making me rethink some of my original ideas."

"Yes, you mentioned splitting them into two groups?"

"Exactly. I know that there's quite a few students who are going to be in the beginner class. That one will go slower, spending more time getting each spell and working on casting speed. The more advanced class will learn the spells, but work on learning more, how to use them in a duel, as well as casting speed. Once the groups have caught up on the spells that they should know, I would like any assistance in how a formal duel works, as I've never been in one."

Flitwick grinned at him. "Harry Potter not having been in a duel," he laughed.

"I've mostly done mock, or not so mock, battles and fights, but nothing structured. I figure we could walk the two groups through both types. It is a lot of work, but I know that the students will be working hard."

Flitwick nodded at him. "It sounds like you have a pretty good plan. What spells are you going to be working with them on?"

Harry pulled out the parchment of spells that McGonagall had given him a few days before. "These are the DADA spells that we should know broken down by years. A week from today, I'll start with the first year spells with everyone, and see how they do. The students who are able to cast all of them, and select ones from second, third, and fourth year will advance to the harder group."

"Do you have an idea on when you wish the two groups to meet?"

Harry nodded. "The advanced group to meet four three hours on Saturday from 1 to 4, unless it's a Hogsmeade weekend, in which we'll change it, and the beginner class on Sunday, same time."

"Well, Mr. Potter, I can tell that you have given this a great deal of thought. I'm happy to help in any way that I can. What would you like my involvement to include?" he asked, testing him slightly.

"I won't lie to you, but at the very beginning, for both groups, I will need you to act as a referee. I know a lot of people are questioning my sanity by putting all four houses in such close proximity while casting spells, but I feel it's necessary. So, at first I'll need you to be a buffer if there are any fights that break out. The beginner class, I don't see many issues with you helping them learn the spells, but there are quite a few spells that the advanced group will learn that I haven't learnt yet, so I'll be asking for your help then. As time goes on, probably after Christmas, I'd like to get into learning not just spells, but using spells in a duel, in which you would be a lot more involved."

Flitwick sat back, very satisfied. "It sounds as though you have everything planned, at least at the beginning. All right, then I will see you next Saturday."

* * *

**There you have it! The rest of that day, which is rather long, is in the next update. I was going to just put it on this one, but it would have doubled the word count at least, and this was as good a place as any to end it.  
**

**I never understood why Harry wasn't more wary about the blood that he was leaving behind with Umbridge, especially as it was the very thing that helped resurrect Voldemort. That was why I had him refuse to leave it with her, and she decided to take advantage of that by hurting him more.  
**

**Oh, and don't worry, the quill will be found out later, and not nearly as long as it took in canon. Harry spent a few weeks over the summer with someone who cared, but that wasn't enough to completely change the 'suffer in silence' aspect of his personality. That will change, but slowly.  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**A lot of varying opinions on the last chapter; some loved, and some hated. I'll just keep in mind something that Rowling said: "That's as it should be. For some to love it, others must loathe it. That's just in the nature of the plot."**

**On the plus side, it's my first update in the new year 2013! So, Happy New Year, everyone, and I hope you all had a good holiday season.  
**

* * *

After Harry left the Charms professor's office, he made his way to the library. He had a lot of homework to do, not only that was assigned over the weekend, but that he hadn't had a chance to do during the week. Looking at the time, he realized that he definitely didn't have time for Arithmancy, Runes, or Transfiguration before dinner started. He pulled out his Astronomy essay and went to work. As soon as he finished writing the essay on Jupiter's moons, he grabbed his Herbology homework.

He looked up once he'd finished it and stretched. It was time to head to dinner. Harry grinned to himself, feeling that the day had been a wonderful accomplishment, having spent time with Ron, Quidditch tryouts, his talk with Flitwick, and homework. He had a few more things to do that night, but he would wait until tomorrow to finish his homework.

Walking into the Great Hall, he found that Ron and Hermione weren't there yet, and his gaze wandered around the other tables, and he saw Luna sitting by herself reading the Quibbler upside down. He hurried over to her. "Is this seat taken?" he asked.

Luna looked up at him. "Hello, Harry Potter. You want to sit with me?"

"Of course. I told you that you're one of my friends. I've been busy this week, so I haven't had a chance to come say hi."

Luna stared at him for a moment, and Harry felt as though he was being X-rayed. Then she nodded slowly, and he sat down.

"I meant to ask you if you had an extra copy of that," Harry told her, gesturing to the magazine she was reading.

"Of course!" she said, slightly excited, and dug two extra copies out of her bag. "Did you enjoy reading it on the train?"

"Yes, I did, and I wanted to send a copy to one of my friends," he told her. "How much for these?" he asked.

Luna looked slightly offended. "You don't need to pay for them. My father sends me extra copies every issue for people who want them."

Harry smiled at her. "Well, thank you, I appreciate it." The food appeared on the table, and the two dug in, talking about their classes so far. Harry found that Luna had a very interesting look on life, and admired her way of viewing everything.

They had just started a discussion on the affect Wrackspruts had on Charms work when they heard a "Hem hem," behind them. They turned to find Umbridge smirking at them. "Mr. Potter, detention," she said.

Harry gaped at her for a moment, then stood. "Why, may I ask?"

"Students are not allowed to sit at the other House tables unless given permission by their Head of House. As Professor McGonagall is not here yet, I can tell that you have not been given permission. Six o'clock on Monday at my office," she said with an evil grin, and went to the Head Table.

Harry stared after her. He had never heard of such a ridiculous rule before! Just as the DADA professor sat and started eating, Minerva entered the Hall, and he hurried up to her.

"Professor, may I speak with you for a moment?" he asked, eyes a bit wide.

She stared at him, seeing the veiled panic. "Of course you may, walk with me," she told him, and they walked outside the Hall. "What is it, Mr. Potter?"

"I was just given detention by Professor Umbridge for sitting with Luna Lovegood at the Ravenclaw table. She said that it is against the rules unless I have received permission from my Head of House."

Minerva started in shock. It was true, that had been a rule a long time ago, but it was one that no one paid attention to anymore, as it discouraged inter house cooperation. "I will speak with her about this. You have my permission to sit with whomever you like from now on. When did she set the detention for?"

"Monday evening," he told her. "And thank you for the permission."

"Nonsense, Mr. Potter," she told him sharply. "This rule is archaic, and was only made because of the turbulent relations that the houses have had in the past. Any other professor would have encouraged it, not assigned detention. I will let you know later tonight what happens."

"Thank you, Professor," he said politely, and they made their way into the Hall, and Harry went to Luna. "I'm going to sit with Ron and Hermione, but thank you for the magazines. I'll talk to you soon, I'm sure."

"Of course," Luna said musically.

Harry made his way over to the Gryffindor table in a rage. He was going to have to examine the school rules, and contest some of them. It was clear that there were quite a few rules that were so outdated it was ridiculous. He would ask McGonagall about it later.

"What was that about?" Ron asked Harry when he sat down.

"Umbridge gave me another detention," Harry said blandly, picking at his food, no longer very hungry.

Hermione gasped. "For what?"

"For sitting at another House table without my Head's approval," he said, monotone.

"That's insane!" Hermione cried. "Why would she want to discourage inter house cooperation?" she demanded.

"I don't know. McGonagall said that she would talk to her about it, but you know Umbridge. She's going to find a way to have me in detention every week for the rest of the year. I wonder what other rules she's going to dig up for that."

No one had anything to say to that. Everyone in Gryffindor, and even some of the other Houses had already realized that Umbridge was on a witch hunt (so to speak) and Harry was her target.

Harry pushed his plate away, no longer hungry, and turned to the twins. "I know I haven't had a chance to talk to you guys earlier, want to do that in the Common Room?"

Both nodded enthusiastically, and hurried to finish, then followed Harry out. They arrived at the Tower before anyone else had finished, so they were alone.

"Alright, what was it you wanted to talk about?" Harry asked.

"We're making you a partner of the business," Fred said, unusually blunt. He could tell that Harry wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush.

Harry gaped at him. "What?" he demanded.

"You gave us all of our start up money. We have several ideas, and we want your opinion on them. As soon as we have a premises, we'll talk to you about your part of the profits."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but George headed him off. "Don't bother, Harry. If you want, we can wait to deal with the financial aspect of this. For now, if you'd like, you can help us with our products. We're doing most of the work," he hastened to say.

"Yeah, we just want your opinion on the products, and maybe later you can give us some ideas if you have any," Fred finished.

Harry thought about that. In truth, he hadn't given it much thought when he'd given his winnings to the twins; it just seemed like the right thing to do. But now, he could see the potential. As much as the two acted like clowns, they were quite intelligent, and Harry could see the usefulness of talking magic with them regularly.

"Alright, but I have a few conditions," he warned, and the twins grinned. "First, we worry about the financial aspect after you two have the premises and are making good income." They nodded, and he continued. "Second, I want to know about your products before you sell them or test them on others, just so I know they're safe," he said, remembering some of the stories Sirius had told him about the early days of the Marauders. When they nodded again, he continued. "Lastly, we try to sit down to talk at least every other week about new ideas and what they'll involve."

The twins smiled, relieved. "That sounds reasonable, right Gred?"

"Right you are, Forge. We have a few ideas now, and as soon as we think they're ready for sale, we'll let you know."

Harry nodded and stood. "Pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen," he said with a grin, and mockingly shook their hands. Then he went up to his dorm and sat on his bed. He pulled out the mirror and set it next to him so that he would be ready when Sirius called. He also grabbed the book on healing he'd bought a few weeks ago, and started reading. It was clear that he wouldn't be able to try any of this until he had his magic back, but it was still fascinating to read about. Maybe next Friday, he would ask Madame Pomfrey about helping him learn the basics if she had the time.

He thought back to his time at the cabin, something he tried hard never to do. He knew that he had done all he could, but it was still frustrating for him, that he had been put in that situation. Maybe if it happened again, he could know a few healing spells, and make it easier to get where he needed to be.

Just then, Harry remembered that he still had the extra copy of the Quibbler that he wanted to send to Remus. He set aside his Healing book and pulled out a piece of parchment and his quill.

_Dear Remus,_

_I hope everything has been going well for you lately, since I haven't seen you. Have you been pretty busy lately? You've never struck me as the kind of person that enjoys doing nothing, so I expect you have been keeping busy. _

_First week back has been rough, I'm glad it's the weekend. If I hadn't known it was OWL year before, I certainly do now, with all the homework we get! I can't wait until the next weekend. I think Hermione is going to help me with making up some of the spell work that I've missed. You know how she is, never can relax when there's work to be done. Something that I think the two of you have in common. _

_When I was on the train, I met a really nice girl, she's a year younger than I am and in Ravenclaw, and her father is the editor of the Quibbler. I've attached a copy of the most recent edition, as there's an article that I think you'll find interesting. I've already teased a certain friend of yours about it, but please do so as well!_

_Hope you are doing well,_

_Harry_

Harry looked over his letter, and found it acceptable. He stuck the mirror in his robes along with the magazine and letter, and left the Tower heading for the Owlery.

As soon as he walked in, Hedwig lighted onto his shoulder, nipping his ear affectionately.

"Good to see you, too, girl," Harry said, stroking her lightly. "Think you're up for a delivery for me?" he asked, and chuckled when she looked reproachfully at him. "Alright, here you go," he told her, giving her a treat, and then attaching his letter and the Quibbler to her leg. "It's for Remus. Have a safe flight, alright?" he told her, and watched as she flew out the open windows. Harry looked around. He had never appreciated the view from up here before. It was absolutely beautiful, though it was rather chilly. Harry thought this was a good thing, though, as the still healing burns on his hands and fingers appreciated it. He made sure to keep them wrapped tight, using the burn paste on them frequently. Now the only ones still there were from the night before, and they were a bit worse than usual. He sighed. He should have known that asking for the parchment to be destroyed each time was necessary, but she was sadistic about it!

He looked around when he heard the door open, and saw Ginny standing there holding a letter. "Harry!" she said happily, looking around for Pig.

"Hey, Ginny," he greeted. "Sending a letter?"

"Yeah, sending one to mom," she answered struggling to attach the letter to the hyperactive owl.

Harry walked over to help, holding Pig while she finished. "Thanks," she said gratefully.

"No problem," he told her, and watched as she sent Pig off, and they turned to leave together.

They started heading back to the Tower. "So, are you excited about starting the DA?" Ginny asked him.

"Definitely," he said distractedly, looking around. He had the strange sense that they were being watched, and he had learned to listen to that feeling over the years. He was about to tell her to get her wand out when a beam of red light streaked towards Ginny. Harry tackled her to the ground, and the beam missed them by inches.

"Protego!" she screamed from her place on the ground after she'd whipped her wand out, and the shield covered both of them and another light hit it.

Harry had never felt more useless in his life, and was angry about it. Their attackers were smart, staying in the shadows so that he couldn't see them. He could tell that it was at least two people, and Ginny's shield was starting to waver.

"Ginny, grab my hand," he ordered, pulling out his pendent. When he had a firm grip on her free hand, he grabbed the pendent and called, "Phoenix fire!"

The two felt the familiar pull behind their navels, and landed in Dumbledore's office.

"What the-" Snape demanded, standing up from the chair he was in, looking at the two disheveled students, one with her wand still clutched in her hand.

Harry and Ginny were panting, the adrenaline wearing off now that they were safe. Harry looked up at the headmaster. "We were attacked by at least two on our way back from the Owlery," he said quickly. "Ginny cast a shield to protect us, but she couldn't lower it to cast a spell at them, and I – " he faltered, still feeling pissed at his uselessness.

"Did you see who they were?" Dumbledore asked Ginny, not looking at Harry.

Ginny finally caught her breath. Holding a shield for that long had worn her out. "No, they were staying in the shadows. Harry saw the first spell in time and tackled me. I pulled up a shield right away, and was concentrating on that."

Dumbledore nodded as he stood. "Severus, come with me, we are going to the corridor and see if we can find out who did this. Minerva," he said, causing the two to look around. She hadn't said a word, so they hadn't known she was there. "Please escort your students back to the Tower."

The two teachers obeyed, and Snape hurried to leave with Dumbledore. McGonagall turned to the two. "Are either of you injured?" she asked, concerned, but angry as well. She never liked it when one of her lions was attacked.

They shook their heads. "Ginny has a great shield charm," Harry said, smiling at her.

Ginny blushed slightly and turned to her head of house. "Harry knocked me down but I think I'm alright."

"Very well, follow me," she ordered, and they walked briskly back to Gryffindor Tower. "Get inside, and please don't tell anyone about this until we speak with you again, I do not wish for a panic to ensue."

Ginny nodded and climbed through the portrait hole, but Harry stayed where he was. "Professor, did you speak with Professor Umbridge?" he asked.

Minerva scowled. "Yes, I have. Unfortunately, she will not withdraw the detention, no matter how much I tried. Her reasoning is that I didn't give you permission until after the detention was set. However, I did tell her that my entire House has permission to sit at other tables, and I will be speaking with Severus, Filius, and Pomona about doing the same. That rule is ancient and needs to be amended."

Harry nodded. "I agree. I was also wondering if there was a list of school rules that I could look at? I get the feeling that there are probably a lot of outdated rules that should be gotten rid of as well."

Minerva considered the teen in front of her. It was clear that he had grown quite a bit over the summer, and not just physically. "I assume that Miss Granger has a copy of Hogwarts, A History, correct?" she asked shrewdly.

Harry chucked a bit. "Of course, I will ask if I could borrow it. Thank you very much," he said to her, and climbed through the hole.

Ginny was waiting for him just inside and pulled him a bit further from the others. "I just wanted to say thanks," she told him shyly. "That first spell would have hit me if you hadn't pushed me down."

Harry waved her off. "Your shield kept us both safe, so I owe you a thanks as well."

"Where did you get a portkey to Dumbledore's office?" she asked curiously.

"He gave it to me after the Feast, since I can't use magic. Pretty much, it was in case of something like this," he said, somewhat angrily.

Ginny just nodded and squeezed his arm in comfort, and they went back to the others. There was a celebratory party for Ron making the team, and it was in full swing. It must have started once he'd left for the Owlery, he mused. He grabbed a butterbeer and raised a toast.

"To Ron," he called, everyone listening and Ron blushing. "The Gryffindor's newest Keeper, let's hear it for him!"

A cheer went up and Hermione beamed at him from her chair by the fire. When people moved away, Harry made his way over to her and found her knitting what looked like a large hat.

"What's that for?" he asked, handing her another drink.

"Hats for house elves," she answered. "I started learning over the summer."

Harry looked at her warily. She knew how adamant she was about elf rights, but had a bad feeling about this. "What's the plan, then?"

Hermione looked at him, exasperated. "I'm setting them free! No living creature deserves to be enslaved, and I won't stand for it," she said stubbornly.

He shook his head. "Hermione, it won't work," he told her, and held up a hand when she made to protest. "Remember Dobby? I couldn't set him free by just giving him a piece of clothing. I had to give the sock to Malfoy," he said, shuddering. Merlin, how he hated that bastard. "Malfoy had to give him the sock or it wouldn't have worked. You can give them clothes, but that would just offend them, not set them free, since only Dumbledore can do that."

Hermione looked at her knitting sadly, pausing. "I hate it, Harry!" she cried. "No one should have to be a slave."

Harry patted her shoulder. "I know, and I get that you see Dobby and how much he loves being free, but he really isn't, if you think about it. Yes, he gets paid, but he needs work, so he came here. You can bet that Dumbledore doesn't treat the elves badly."

Hermione nodded slowly. "I just wish there was something I could do for them."

"Have you given any thought to what you want to do after you graduate?" he asked, thinking quickly.

Hermione shook her head. "I want to take S.P.E.W. further, but I don't know how to."

"Maybe instead of doing that, you go to work at the Ministry for the Department for the Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures? I'm sure they could use someone like you, and you could try to pass laws about improving conditions for house elves. You could even do things like changing laws about werewolves like Remus," he said, thinking of the former professor and how bad things were for him.

Hermione stared at her friend. "That's brilliant," she breathed. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because I'm too smart," Harry said pompously, then grinned when she punched his shoulder.

"Prat," she said. "That is a great idea, though, I'll talk to Professor McGonagall about that tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan. Oh, and I was going to ask you if I could borrow your copy of Hogwarts, A History."

She looked at him in amazement. "Didn't you vow never to read that book?" she demanded.

Harry grinned at her. "Sure I did. But then I got detention for breaking an ancient rule that should have been removed years ago. I want to find the rest of the school rules, partly so that I don't break anymore of them, and partly so that I can find others that need to be gotten rid of as well."

Hermione looked approvingly at him. "I'll give it to you at breakfast tomorrow," she promised.

Harry thanked her, and heard his godfather's voice coming from his robes. "Excuse me," he said quickly, and made his way up the stairs to his dorm. "Sirius," he greeted gratefully, flopping down onto his bed.

"Hey kid, how's your week been?" a very tired looking Sirius asked.

Harry saw the lines of frustration on his godfather's face. "What happened at the school?" he asked instead.

Sirius sighed. "It seems I'm going to be here for a while. The Head doesn't trust people easily, especially since Wizarding Britain and Spain don't have the greatest history. So I need to stay and prove myself to him before he'll even broach the topic of an alliance."

Harry winced. He had been hoping that Sirius would be back soon, not that it really mattered as he was at Hogwarts. "That sucks," he commented. "Do you think you'll be back by Christmas, though?" he asked, almost desperate. He didn't think he could handle not seeing his godfather for nearly a year.

Sirius saw the concern and smiled. "If we haven't finished forming the alliance, I will still be able to come back for your hols, I'm sure they'll understand," he assured. "How's your week been?" he asked again.

Harry shrugged. "Not so good. I was given another detention today, to serve on Monday."

Sirius grimaced. "What was this one for?"

"I sat at the Ravenclaw table for dinner tonight."

Sirius waited, but there was no more explanation. "You were given a detention for sitting at another House's table?" he asked skeptically.

But Harry nodded at him. "Yep. Umbridge said that you need your Head of House to approve before sitting at another table, and so she gave me detention. McGonagall has since given the entire House permission to sit wherever they want to, and she's going to talk to Sprout, Snape, and Flitwick into doing the same."

Sirius was reeling. He hadn't even known that was a rule, and he'd sat with plenty of girlfriends who were in other Houses during his Hogwarts years. "Anything else?" he asked wearily. He would swear that Harry's story would make the best novel.

"Ginny and I were attacked about half an hour ago in the halls by the Owlery," Harry said, and hurried to explain when he saw Sirius's expression. "It was at least two people, but they were in the shadows, so I don't know who they were. I knocked Ginny down, and she brought up a shield, but there was a lot of spell fire, and I could tell that she wasn't going to be able to keep it up for long, so I used the portkey that Dumbledore gave me to get us out of there. Dumbledore and Snape went to check it out, and McGonagall escorted us back to the Tower."

Sirius was fuming. Another attack on his godson, he wasn't going to stand for this much longer! "I think I should come up there and have a talk with Albus," he said firmly. There was no way he was going to let this slide.

Harry shook his head quickly. "No, that's not necessary. Dumbledore and McGonagall seem to have it under control, and Snape is there, too. It's not like I was injured; I didn't even have to go to the hospital wing!" As much as he would love to see his godfather, he also didn't. He knew that Sirius was protective to the point of overprotective, and he needed to find a way to handle this on his own. First, though, he needed to change the subject. "On a brighter note, I sent the magazine to Remus, and I can't wait to see what he thinks about it. Oh, and Ron made the Quidditch Keeper!"

"That's awesome, tell him congratulations for me." Sirius sighed. He knew that there was something going on with Harry, but he wasn't going to get answers right then. He would still contact Albus, just to make sure that he was doing everything he could for his students.

"I will," Harry promised, then heard McGonagall call his name from the Common Room. "McGonagall wants to talk to me, I'm guessing it's about what just happened. Want to talk again on Tuesday?" he asked, and Sirius agreed. He stuffed the mirror under his pillow and hurried back down.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, please come with me," she ordered, and the two of them followed, getting stares from the rest of the house. They left the portrait hole, and found Snape and Dumbledore waiting for them.

"There were no signs of them, Harry," Dumbledore told him, looking at the Fat Lady. "Can you think of who it might have been?"

Harry shrugged. "The only person I can think of is Draco Malfoy, but I'm sure he came up with some kind of alibi for this."

Snape glared at him. "What makes you think my student had anything to do with this?"

Harry scoffed slightly. "Perhaps the fact that his father was the one that tortured me two weeks ago? Not to mention, I doubt Voldemort was all that happy with Malfoy Sr. about it. So if he was punished, then Draco would want to hurt me as revenge."

"Well thought out, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said. "We will do a little digging, but try to stay with multiple people from now on, no trips by yourself."

"Don't approach Mr. Malfoy about this," Snape commanded. "I do not know if he did this, but you will stay out of it, is that clear?"

Harry barely nodded at his least favorite professor. Then he turned to the headmaster. "I know that I'm off restriction in less than a week, but does the portkey still work, or was it a onetime one?"

Dumbledore sighed. "It can be used up to five times, so I would keep it on you to be safe, my boy. Now, I'm sure the Gryffindors are celebrating for young Mr. Weasley, so we won't keep you any longer," he told Ginny, and the professors left.

Ginny turned to Harry. "Are you alright?" she asked, seeing the anger on his face.

"Not really," Harry said, taking deep breaths. "I was hoping that whoever was dumb enough to attack us was going to be punished, but that clearly isn't going to happen." Then he grinned, rather frighteningly. "Oh, I hope that whoever it was doesn't know how long I'm on restriction for," he told her as they climbed through the hole again. "It would be so nice to find out who it was, and get a little payback."

Ginny giggled slightly. "You're cute when you're so mad," she teased, then blushed slightly.

Harry smiled at her, and Hermione and Ron came over. "What was that all about?" Hermione demanded right away.

"Over here," Harry said, leading them to a more secluded corner, only occupied by the twins and Lee.

"Hey, Harry, everything alright?" Lee asked.

Harry shook his head. "Alright guys. Ginny and I were attacked earlier tonight coming back from the Owlery," he told them, then raised a hand at the exclamations. "Neither of us were hurt, but the attackers weren't found. And I'm guessing they're going to be even angrier that I got out unhurt. So from now on, Ginny and I aren't going anywhere alone, especially until Friday." He looked apologetically at the youngest Weasley. "I don't know if they'll want revenge on you for helping me."

Ginny shrugged. "I'd like to see any of them take me in a fair fight, especially after the DA starts."

Ron and Hermione were pissed, just as much as the twins. "It better not have been anyone from the DA," Ron threatened.

"No one messes with any of our siblings," Fred agreed with a nasty look on his face.

George rolled his eyes when Harry looked confused. "Stuff it, Harry. You're our brother, and have been for years now. Get over it."

Harry just grinned at them. "Thanks guys. But we still have a party to finish, right?" As soon as he'd said that, the boys hurried to get more sweets, and the girls laughed at them.

* * *

Sunday passed uneventfully, which was a good thing, Harry thought. He spent the afternoon flying with Ron and helping him with his Keeping. After lunch, which he spent with Luna again, he, Ron and Hermione made their way to the library.

Ron was working on his dream diary for Divination, and Hermione was helping Harry with his Arithmancy homework. As soon as he'd finished with it, the three worked together on the Charms and Transfiguration homework, then Hermione and Harry went onto Runes and Ron left to head back to the common room.

Harry's head was killing him by the time dinner rolled around, but he was thrilled that all his homework was finished, which meant that he would get to relax that evening. They made their way to the Great Hall, and Harry caught sight of Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot, and he turned to Hermione.

"I'm going to sit at the Hufflepuff table for dinner. Tell Ron for me?" he asked.

Hermione nodded, but looked at him curiously. "What's with the sudden interest getting to know other students?" she asked, feeling a bit hurt.

Harry saw this, and pulled her back a little. "Relax, Hermione. You and Ron are always going to be family to me, you know that. I just want to get to know some other people from other Houses so that the DA runs a bit smoother."

Hermione nodded at the logic and made her way to the Gryffindor table. Harry hurried over and saw Susan and Hannah sitting with Ernie and Justin. Harry took a deep breath and walked over. "This seat taken?" he asked bravely.

Justin looked a bit nervous, as did Ernie and Hannah, but Susan smiled at him. "Of course, sit down," she offered, and Harry sat.

"How were your first weeks back?" Harry asked, filling his plate, ignoring the stares from various people.

"Pretty good," Susan responded. "I'm not happy about Defense, but who is?"

"I enjoyed it when we had Professor Lupin," Hannah said, taking her cue from her friend. "He was a great teacher."

Harry just nodded without saying anything negative about Umbridge. With his luck lately, she would walk up behind him as he said it. "I know, and I wish we were actually casting the spells now like we did when he was teaching. What kind of spells do you guys think we should really start learning?" he asked, thinking it would be nice to get an idea of what people wanted out of the DA.

"My shield charm isn't the best," Justin told him. "I can't wait to work on that, and I've never Stunned anything before."

Harry nodded. "That's alright, a lot of people are behind on the DADA spells we should know. So you want to work on shielding and stunning. Anything else?" he asked the various people that were around.

Susan smiled knowingly at him. "You're really taking this seriously, aren't you?" she inquired.

Harry grinned at her. "You're a sharp one, aren't you?"

Susan laughed. "Comes from having your aunt be the head of the DMLE."

Harry's brows rose. "Really? I never knew that," he commented.

She just shrugged. "No worries. I'm looking forward to the club, though. Not only for the training, but also to see how you handle all the houses in one room."

Harry nodded. "I'm pretty worried about that," he admitted. "That's why I asked Professor Flitwick to help the first few lessons, to act as a referee if I need it."

Ernie nodded at him. "He was a good choice," he informed Harry. "He's neutral in most of the problems in the school, and people will listen to him. Not to mention the fact that his dueling skills are legendary."

They continued talking about the club for a bit longer, then Harry worked to bring them into a casual conversation, simply imagining they were the Gryffindors, and it worked. Pretty soon, half the Hufflepuff table was found to be in a lively debate of Muggle versus Wizarding music. Not surprisingly, the muggleborns were on the Muggle side, and the purebloods on the Wizarding side, with the half bloods on the fence. Dinner ended before the debate was done, and a lot of the Hufflepuffs were sad to end it so quickly.

Harry bid them farewell, and saw Ron and Hermione waiting for him by the doors. Grateful that he didn't have to walk to the Tower by himself, he made his way over to them.

"Looked like you were having a good time over there," Ron said hesitantly.

Harry grinned. "Yeah, we were debating Muggle and Wizard music. Maybe you two could join me next time."

Ron blushed. "I don't know, I don't really know any of them."

"We know Justin and Ernie, and we know Hannah a bit as well," Hermione said thoughtfully.

Harry could tell that he needed to change the topic. "Come on, Ron; let's play chess when we get back. I think I picked up a few new tricks this summer."

Ron laughed. "Like it's going to make a difference."

Sure enough, it hadn't. The two friends played four games with Hermione watching while she knitted. Harry wondered if she was still knitting for the elves, but decided not to ask. Maybe she just enjoyed it now. Harry and Ron were packing up their pieces when the twins came over.

"Harry, could we talk to you?" George asked.

Harry nodded, and grabbed the last of his pieces, and followed the two over to a corner. "What's up?"

"We think that the first products are ready for sale," Fred said.

"But you mentioned that you want to see them before we can sell," George continued.

"So we were wondering when you wanted to get together and take a look at them," Fred finished.

Harry smiled. "Thanks for letting me know. I have detention again tomorrow night, but how about Tuesday after dinner? I'm sure we could find an empty classroom to use."

"Sounds like a plan," they chorused, and clapped him on the shoulder before leaving.

* * *

Harry woke the next morning with a groan. Even though he had remembered to do his Occlumency meditation the night before, he still had the stupid dreams of the corridors. He wished he knew what they meant. Maybe Sirius would be able to tell him eventually, he had mentioned that he wanted to a few weeks before.

He got to the common room before anyone was awake, so he pulled out the Healing book he had, and started reading. He had gotten past the first few chapters when Ginny plopped down next to him.

"I hate Mondays," she yawned.

Harry laughed slightly. "I know, they do come too fast," he said, putting the book into his bag. He'd read it later. "What are your Mondays like?"

"Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy and Astronomy," she said.

"That's a pretty good mix," Harry mused. "Certainly better than mine."

Ginny grinned. "What have you got?"

"Double History, Potions, Runes, and Double Defense," Harry said, and laughed as she winced in sympathy.

"Ouch, sounds like Runes are your saving grace on Mondays," she said.

Harry just nodded and they looked up as Ron and Hermione joined them, and they went to breakfast.

History went by slowly, but Harry just worked on reading the text again, trying to shut out the sound of Binns' voice, or he'd fall asleep.

The first half of Potions went by quickly. They were brewing a pain potion, which Harry had made several times before. While preparing the ingredients, he considered. With the pain in both his neck and his hand, he had been using up a lot of his pain potions, and would soon need more. He grabbed double of all the things he needed and set to work.

Snape was clearly in a foul mood as he went around looking at the potions. When he got to Potter's, he was furious. "Detention, Potter!" he snarled. "Are you trying to steal from the school? Those ingredients do cost money, you know."

Harry forced himself to remain calm. Yelling would get him nowhere. He finished the stirring, and put in the next ingredient before looking up. "My Potions satchel is nearly out of pain potions," he said calmly, then pointedly rubbed the side of his neck where there was still a gruesome scar where the skin had finally begun healing, so he had stopped using bandages. "I have been needing them a bit more often lately."

Snape glared. "Pain potions can be addictive, Potter. A three year old should be aware of that."

"I know that, Professor. However, I am careful to take no more than one a day, when you can actually take three, and every fifth day I stop taking them so that my system doesn't get addicted."

Snape glowered at him. "15 points from Gryffindor for not asking to use extra ingredients," he snapped, and went to check the Slytherin's potions. He understood why the brat needed pain potions, as the wound on his neck was still looking painful, and he'd clearly read up on the dangers of becoming addicted to the potions.

Harry sighed as he continued work on his potion. He knew that he should have asked, or worked on a potion on his own time, but he had very little of that to spare right now. He would just make sure not to make extra during class again.

The class finished making their potions, Harry putting the extra vials in his bag, and Snape demanded that Harry remain behind. He whispered to Hermione that he would see her at Runes and to explain to Babbling why he was going to be a bit late, and she just nodded, hurrying off with Ron.

"Yes, sir?" Harry started, deciding to be polite.

Snape glared at him. "I know that many people are willing to make exceptions for the Boy Who Lived, but if I catch you messing around during my class again, I will do worse than put you in detention, is that understood?"

Harry nodded. "Understood, professor. I just did not want to bother Madame Pomfrey for pain potions when I can make them just as easily."

Snape studied him for a moment. It was true that the brat's skills had increased quite a bit this year, and he was at a lose to understand why. Not that he truly cared. "Next time, you will tell me beforehand, and you will report for your detention Wednesday after dinner," he said, ending the conversation

"Of course, sir," Harry said, and left, grabbing his bag and running to make it to Runes on time.

He entered just as Professor Babbling was beginning roll call. She gave him a brief look, then smiled, and continued.

"Well, you are all doing very well with understanding the runes we have studied so far. Now, normally we would not begin talking about the process of engraving them until after OWLs, but I have decided that this class is far enough to begin discussing the process. Who can tell me why this process is much more difficult than simply writing them?"

Hermione had her hand up first, and Harry was enthralled by the discussion. He had known from his readings how difficult it was to engrave runes onto anything, but he also knew how much more powerful they were that way. As always, he was disappointed to see the class end. They would not begin the process of engraving until NEWT level, but discussing them was fascinating.

The two hurried to Defense, meeting up with Ron. Harry kept his nose in his book, although he had already finished it. The last thing he needed was another detention, especially as the homework load he was getting was increasing by the class. Thankfully, the double period passed without points deducted or detentions served, and it was time for Harry to hit the library again. He knew that he should go and grab dinner, but he didn't have time for it. He would try to stop by the kitchens if he had time, he decided, and trudged up to the library. He finished his Potions essay on the dangers of pain potions, and had just started his Runes assignment when it was time to go to detention with Umbridge.

Throughout the entire detention, Umbridge continued to talk about how much he deserved to be in pain. She said that it was for spreading nasty lies, and trying to convince others of them as well. But Harry kept his eyes on the parchment that was shining with his blood, and kept his mouth shut. He was running through the healing spells that he had been reading about to keep his mind far away from her and what she was saying. He knew from experience with his Uncle Vernon that if he heard something enough, he might start to believe it.

Thankfully, Harry's reflexes worked in his favor that night, as he managed to escape another burn by lifting his hands away fast enough. This seemed to annoy her, but she could not say anything about it, and Harry made sure to clean up any blood drops that were left behind before he took his leave.

When Harry got back to his dorm, he realized that it was once again after midnight. He decided to work on his homework the next day, and fell into bed, falling asleep immediately.

* * *

**Poor Harry, he just can't catch a break! I'm evil, I'm aware :-)**

**So, I'm starting classes back up after taking a break for a few months. Updates will still happen as often as I can, but they'll be a bit more irregular. Thanks in advance for the understanding.  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**The start of the DA! So, I kind of got on my soapbox for this, because I really hate bigotry, and never understood why a quarter of the school was ostracized because of their House. Also, I can see a slightly more mature Harry saying these things. **

**Warning: it might appear that I'm bashing Ron in this chapter, but I'm really not! Give him time, and don't flame!  
**

* * *

The next day passed relatively well. His classes passed without mention, and Luna surprised them all by coming to sit with the Gryffindors at lunchtime. Harry immediately looked up at Flitwick and McGonagall, who both nodded at him, so he relaxed, knowing that Luna wouldn't receive detention for it.

"There are too many Wrackspurts at the Ravenclaw table," Luna said when Hermione asked why she was sitting with them. "There aren't as many over here."

Hermione looked around, confused, and missed Harry's head shake at her. "What are Wrackspurts?" she asked.

"They are invisible creatures that fly around and make your brain go all fuzzy," she said dreamily, sipping on her pumpkin juice.

Hermione frowned. "They don't exist," she said, but shut her mouth when Harry shook his head at her.

"Oh, they exist, but not everyone believes in them," she said dreamily.

Harry and Ron stifled a chuckle at the look on Hermione's face, and switched the topic to Quidditch, and Harry again worked to bring the others at the table into the conversation.

After lunch, Hermione walked with Harry to the library to work on his homework, but she went back to the Common Room, having finished her own for the day. He knew that after supper he was talking with the twins, and then there was Quidditch practice, and then he was going to talk to Sirius, so this was the only time he had. Ron showed up two hours in and asked Harry if he would practice with him before dinner.

Harry shook his head regretfully. "I'm sorry, mate, but I'm swamped with Arithmancy homework right now. Maybe tomorrow night?"

Ron scowled. "That's all you ever do anymore!" he seethed.

Harry stared at him, shocked. "I'm sorry," he apologized again. "You know how I want to do well this year, and with the extra classes…"

"Yeah, whatever," Ron huffed and left.

Harry looked down at his work, not really seeing it anymore. He felt bad for not spending as much time with his friends, but he really wanted to do well this year, especially with OWLs coming up, plus he was taking two more classes (since he never really did anything for Divination when he was still taking it) which meant he was having a huge workload. He could only imagine what it was going to be like once he could use magic again and had to practice, added to the DA lessons and Quidditch practice, he was going to have no free time to speak of.

He forced his mind back to his homework, but his heart wasn't in it anymore. He managed to finish the Arithmancy work, the Herbology essay, and started his CoMC work, which made him feel even worse. He missed Hagrid, his first friend in the Wizard world. He knew that Hagrid was on a dangerous mission, to try and persuade the giants to join the light, but he would have thought he'd be back by now.

He realized he wasn't getting anymore work done that night, and he looked up at the time. He was shocked to see that dinner was almost over and he'd completely missed it. Gathering his books, he figured it was for the best, especially since his Charms work wasn't due the next class. Now he had the chance to visit another old friend. He knew that he shouldn't leave by himself, but there was no one else around, and he had to risk it. He walked with the confidence that Sirius had taught him, hoping that it would discourage anyone from trying again.

Harry grinned as he tickled the pear, preparing himself for an enthusiastic greeting.

"Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby yelled, running up and hugging him around the knees.

"Hey, Dobby," Harry said with a grin. "How have you been doing?"

"Dobby been wonderful, sir! Dobby loves working in the kitchens!" Dobby said loudly. "Did you need something, Harry Potter, sir?"

Harry laughed. "I missed dinner, I was wondering if I could get something to eat?"

"Of course!" In seconds, Harry was seated at a small table and presented with a small feast.

"Would you and Winky like to join me?" Harry offered, knowing that he would never be able to finish all the food.

Dobby stared at him in wonder. "Yous would want us to eats with you?" he asked, eyes shining.

"I like to eat with my friends," Harry said simply, and had to immediately calm the hysterical elf who was sobbing with gratitude. A few minutes later, he managed to get Winky to join them.

"How have you been, Winky?" Harry asked gently, as she was picking at the food.

"Winky still misses her master," she said softly. "Master did not deserves to die."

"I know," Harry said softly. "A lot of people have died who don't deserve it." He thought sadly of Cedric, who once had the world at his feet before the Tournament. Pushing those thoughts away, he looked at Dobby. "Are you working on more socks?" he asked, seeing a new hat on his head, and wondered if it was from Hermione.

Dobby happily jumped onto the new topic, telling Harry about all the things that he was making right now. When Harry told him that Hermione had started knitting as well, he got even more excited.

Harry made a mental note to ask Hermione if she wanted to talk to Dobby about her knitting. He had seen her struggling with a few patterns, and figured Dobby would be more than willing to help her if he could.

Finally, the three finished their late dinner, and Harry wasn't sure if he was willing to risk the walk back to the tower by himself. "Hey Dobby, could you do me a favor?"

Dobby grinned and nodded. "Anything you need, Harry Potter, sir!"

"I can't do magic right now, not for a few more days, and I don't want to risk walking by to Gryffindor Tower by myself. I know that house elves can Apparate in Hogwarts. Could you take me to the portrait of the Fat Lady?"

Dobby nodded happily. "Of course I cans! Hold on tightlies," he said, reaching a hand out.

Harry gripped it, and felt a spinning sensation, and then they were outside the portrait. "Thank you so much, Dobby," he said gently, giving the excitable elf a small hug.

"Anything yous need, sir!" Dobby said, then popped back to the kitchens.

Harry laughed and gave the password, hurrying into the room. The Common Room was crowded, but he found the twins easily enough. "Hey you two," he greeted.

"Ah, if it isn't the one we've been looking for," George said.

"Indeed it is, my twin. Where shall we give him a wondrous demonstration?"

"Alone, preferably," Harry said.

"Right this way then," Fred told him, and led the way to their dorm room, which was empty.

Harry plopped down onto one of the beds. "Alright, what am I going to witness?"

Fred and George grinned at each other, and pulled out a few boxes from their trunks. "We've made what we call Skiving Snackboxes."

"We only have two finished with the antidote already, and two more that we are trying to figure out now."

"Skiving Snackboxes?"

Instead of explaining, Fred popped a pill into his mouth, and his nose started bleeding rather badly. Harry looked up in alarm, hand going for his wand to conjure a tissue, but he remembered he couldn't. Then he was amazed when Fred took another pill and the bleeding stopped immediately.

"Wicked!" Harry whispered. "That's incredible!"

George grinned as well, and took a pill, causing him to start vomiting into a bucked that Fred had conjured. He forced down another pill which stopped it.

Harry was amazed. This was pretty advanced magic. "I see why they are Skiving Snackboxes now," he laughed.

The twins sat down across from Harry. "Yep. Students can take one, leave class, pop the antidote in, letting them out of a surely unnecessary class."

"I'm guessing you guys are better at Potions than you let on," Harry said shrewdly, but his eyes were dancing.

"You caught us," George said.

"We just find the greasy bat too much to deal with, so we do most things on our own," Fred elaborated.

Harry laughed at the nickname for Snape, and thought. "Has anyone else tried these sweets?"

George shook his head. "Not yet. We took your warning seriously. We want to make sure that these work for both sexes and various ages, but we wanted to show them to you first."

Harry was glad that they'd listened to him. "Alright, I'll give them a shot, since I'm younger."

He took both of them, and the antidotes worked fine. "Are there any girls you know that would be willing to try these as well? We want to make sure before anyone buys them."

The twins looked at each other, considering. "Probably Alicia."

"She doesn't look it."

"But she has a pranking streak almost as bad as ours."

"She's just not as obvious about it."

"And she's the same age," Harry put in. "Which will help. Alright, if she doesn't have any reactions to this that she shouldn't, you guys have your first prank that you can sell," he told them with a grin.

The twins whooped in glee, and shook his hand. The three left the dorm after making sure that the evidence of sick and blood was cleaned up. Harry looked around for Ron, but he was nowhere to be seen. He figured that his mate was already on the pitch practicing. The three of them grabbed their brooms and went out to the pitch, where they found the rest of the team, including Ron.

Harry noticed the twins pull Alicia off to the side for a moment, and if her grin was anything to go by, Harry figured he'd see some serious Skiving going on fairly soon. The team went to work on their practice, but Ron seemed distracted. He missed most of the shots the Chasers threw at him, and Harry knew he needed to talk to his friend.

Their practice ended early, as Angelina was getting frustrated. They went out to the locker rooms, and Harry pulled Ron aside.

"Hey," he greeted, first thing he'd said since the library.

"Hey," Ron said shortly, and took off for the locker rooms as well, not saying anything else.

Harry sighed. He really didn't like Ron being angry with him, but there wasn't anything he could do about it, since he did have a lot of work, and he wasn't going to not do his work. He changed silently and went up to the dorms, not wanting to be around anyone else right then. He pulled out the book on healing he'd been reading, and waited for Sirius to call him on the mirror.

Sirius was rather late in calling, having been with various teachers that evening. The older wizard could tell that something was wrong with Harry, but knew better than to comment on it. He knew that Harry was the silent, brooding type who needed time to analyze things to death before he'd talk about it. He would give it another week before he brought it up. It ended up being a rather short talk, but Harry begged off, saying that he needed to get some more homework done, and Sirius agreed. Harry said that he would be available to talk again on Sunday evening, and Sirius nodded before putting the mirror away.

He was getting worried about his godson. After several weeks of eating properly, Harry had started putting on some weight, making him only very skinny as opposed to emaciated. But he noticed that Harry was getting a bit thinner, and he worried, since he knew how much food Hogwarts served. Furthermore, he hadn't talked about his friends at all, except a little about the Weasley twins. He didn't want to read too much into it, but he was getting a little concerned. He would wait, though, to say anything until he had more to go on.

* * *

The next three days passed slowly for Harry. Ron still wasn't talking to him, which hurt more than he was willing to say. He knew that his study habits had improved dramatically compared to the last several years, but he really had tried to find time to be with his friends.

He had been spending breakfasts at Gryffindor table, but then alternated lunch and dinner with Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. He didn't know enough people at the Slytherin table to risk sitting there just yet, but he did want to get to know more people from the other houses. He found that Susan Bones was fun to talk to, and he spoke with her a lot about the war, finding her much more informed than the majority of the castle, because of her aunt. He never would have thought there was another person who felt as strongly as he did about it, but he had found it in Susan. Hannah, Justin and Ernie were there most of the time, and he was learning to enjoy their presence as well. Ernie reminded him of Ron, though he would never tell his friend that. The Hufflepuff prefect was known for being a chess master at his house, and Harry made a mental note of that, thinking that maybe he could get them to have a match against each other.

At the Ravenclaw table, he found that Anthony, also a prefect, was fascinating to talk to. He had gotten to know the boy a bit, as they were in Runes together. He was one of the smartest students in the school. Harry was reminded forcibly of Cedric, as Anthony knew he was smart, but he didn't flaunt it. He got to know Padma, who had gotten over the Yule ball incident, which he was grateful for, as well as Lisa Turpin and Terry Boot. They were all a smart lot, which wasn't surprising, considering their house. He found his mind being expanded when he chose to sit with them, as their conversations were generally school related, and Harry tried to keep up with the discussions, which ranged from discussing History, which he realized he was learning a lot more because of, to the use of Charms in everyday life, and even how DADA spells were often used in many professions besides Aurors.

He was kept busy with homework and classes, not to mention receiving a detention by Umbridge for the next few days when he was late to her class, as he'd needed to speak with Professor Babbling about her assignment. He'd had a note, but she ignored it, saying that he'd clearly forged it. Harry stopped fighting her. He knew that she was going to find some way to keep him in detention for the majority of the year, and knew that if he argued he'd get more detentions. He would just have to take it.

* * *

Thankfully, Friday finally came, and Harry hurried through his classes, then practically flew to the Hospital Wing. He grinned, as it was the first time in over four years that he was excited to go see the formidable nurse.

"Mr. Potter, take a breath," she chastised gently when he sprinted into the room.

"Sorry, ma'am," he told her.

"Not a problem. Have a seat," she offered, gesturing to one of the few chairs in the room. As soon as he was seated, she started waving her wand. "Well, your injuries have all healed nicely, except for your neck, which looks as though it is still healing. Your magical core is back to full strength, but you must take it easy," she warned. "You may practice for a bit today, but nothing too strenuous. I know you have your club to teach tomorrow, but I would advise not doing much magic outside of those times. On Monday after classes, come see me again so that I can see how you are doing." Then she frowned, and waved her wand again. "Is there something wrong with your hand?" she asked, and eyed the bandages that were covering his right hand.

Harry's heart started pounding. "I just spilt wax on it a few days ago. I put some burn paste on it, so it'll be fine in a few days."

She nodded dubiously at him. "If you are sure," she trailed off. It wasn't the first time that a student had lied about an injury, but she wondered what really happened. Knowing the boy's history, it was probably something dangerous, and he didn't want to get a friend in trouble. That was just how the boy was.

"I did have one question, though," he told her. When she nodded, he continued. "I have been reading lately about healing magic, and I read about burns and scrapes, just some of the basic injuries. But it got me to wondering, if there are common potions for those things, why would people need the spells?"

Poppy smiled. There were only a few students per year that inquired about healing magic, they were usually students who desired to go into healing as a career. "Well, some people are not adept at Potions, just as some people are not adept at Healing. Also, some potions take time, and people don't have the patience to make a potion when they could simply use their wands. Now, the more serious an injury, the more likely you will need a spell instead of a potion, such as a broken bone, concussion, or internal injuries. Other injuries, such as your neck, require the use of potions."

Harry nodded, thinking about what she was telling him. "I've been wanting to learn a bit more about Healing magics. Would you be willing to teach me if you have the time?" he asked hesitantly.

"Are you considering Healing as a profession, Mr. Potter?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. "I'm not sure. I've been considering becoming an Auror, but even with that, I believe Healing would be useful knowledge to have."

Poppy considered. She did enjoy teaching youths who were interested, and he seemed sincere in his desire to learn, so she nodded. "I understand you don't have a lot of time lately, so how about three times a month, you come in, and I will teach you," she offered.

Harry was elated. He had figured he would just use self study, but this was even better. "Thank you, ma'am, that would be wonderful," he elated.

She smiled at him. "You are welcome. How about next Tuesday during your afternoon break?" she offered, and he readily agreed, then hurried out.

Harry made his way up to his dorm, excited. He had full use of his magic, and an offer for learning about healing! He hurried to grab his Charms book and opened it to the first one they had learned. First, though, he went through a few of the basic charms to make sure nothing bad happened, and when nothing did, he went on to practice the spells he'd missed.

He got frustrated on occasion, but remembered over the summer that Sirius told him how much harder it became to use magic when frustrated, so he calmed down. He was quickly able to master the two Charms he'd missed, and was about to move onto Transfiguration when he realized how late it had gotten. He pocketed his wand, put his books away and went down to the common room to relax.

* * *

The next morning, Harry woke and smiled. Not only was it a Saturday, which meant he didn't have classes, but he could start practicing spells again, and he had his first DA meeting that evening. He had spent a lot of time with other students the past week, and hoped that it would pay off, making things run smoother.

He quietly got out of bed, dressed, and grabbed his bag and his wand. When he walked into the common room, he was surprised to see that it was still an hour before breakfast, and he figured he'd get a little practice in now. He pulled out his wand and an old quill that he never used anymore. He was about to start practicing when he heard someone coming down the stairs. He paused and looked up, seeing Ron standing there awkwardly.

"Hey," Ron said quietly, staring at his own feet.

"Morning," Harry said, thinking this was a good sign.

"Can we talk?" Ron asked, looking up, and Harry nodded, so he sat in the chair next to him. "I wanted to apologize for how I've acted this week."

Harry smiled widely. "It's alright."

Ron shook his head. "No, it's not. I should have realized how busy you've been, what with the extra classes and your detentions, and I should have acted like a friend, instead of how I was after the goblet."

Harry smiled and punched his friend on the shoulder. "Just try to remember that if I have time to spare, I'll spend it with you guys. There's something that I wanted to talk to you about as well," he said hesitantly.

Ron looked up at him. "Anything." He felt bad for acting like a prat. It didn't help that his brothers were the ones to knock some sense into him about how he was treating his best mate.

"Well, I know how you feel about Slytherins, and the first DA meeting is tonight, and it's going to be hard to get everyone to get along as it is…"

"Mate," Ron interrupted. "As long as no one tries anything with you or Hermione, I won't say anything. And that goes for all the Houses, not just the snakes."

Harry sighed gratefully. "Thanks, I'll just need all the support I can get if I'm going to make this a success."

Ron was about to say something when Hermione came down the stairs. "It's about time you two are talking again," she snapped good naturedly. "I was getting worried there for a while."

The two grinned at each other, and Harry joked, "Now you know how I feel when the two of you are always going at it."

They had a good laugh, and more Gryffindors came down the stairs, ready for breakfast. Harry put his wand, quill, and books away, figuring he'd have time to practice later.

"Got your magic back, huh?" Hermione asked with a grin. She knew how hard the past two weeks had been on her friend, and knew that it had a lot to do with how happy he seemed.

"Yep," Harry said, grinning widely. "Just in time, since we've got the first DA meeting tonight."

Hermione got very excited, asking him about the spells that they were going to be practicing as they made their way to the Great Hall. Harry laughed, and told her that she'd have to wait and find out. He didn't want anyone to think that he was playing favorites with anyone. He really did want to make this work.

They all sat down at their usual places and dug in. Harry was pleased when he noticed that quite a few of the people who had still been giving him hostile looks over the last two weeks were staring at him now with thoughtful looks, as though sizing him up. He knew that it was unusual for someone to sit with a variety of people from other Houses, as he had been doing for a while. He tried to smile at various people, getting even more nervous about that evening. He knew that it would likely be the hardest meeting, since it was the largest, but also because it was the first time that all the Houses would be expected to work together for something other than classes and mealtimes.

Knowing that he needed a break from his worries, he asked Ron if he wanted to get a bit of flying in before their practice that was taking place later. Ron agreed enthusiastically, and they finished quickly and went to the pitch.

It was rather strange, as the day seemed to both fly by and drag at the same time. Before he knew it, they were heading to dinner, and Harry's heart was racing. He chose to sit with his own House for that meal, which was unusual, as he had been spending dinners with either the Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs.

He was just picking at his dinner, not really noticing what he was eating, and just worrying about the fact that he was going to be in charge of a lot of people in a very short amount of time. Would people listen to him when he was giving orders? Would a fight break out between the Houses, resulting in the first Hogwarts Civil War? If things went badly, would he be blamed by the faculty?

Ginny was the first to break him out of his dark thoughts. "Potter, relax," she finally ordered when people realized that he hadn't been hearing them try to talk to him.

Harry snapped up when he heard his surname. "What?" he asked, looking at her.

"You're having Flitwick be the sponsor for a reason, and no one would think about arguing with a professor. This is going to be a good thing, so stop worrying," she snapped.

Harry chuckled. He had started to see Ginny as someone who was really good at reading people. "I know, I'm just worried about…"

"Well don't," she interrupted. "It's going to be fine, and we've got your back."

Ron and Hermione were watching the exchange with amused smiles. It was good to see someone else dealing with moody Harry for once. "She's right, Harry," Hermione told him. "No matter what, we're behind you. But you clearly have this thought out, and you picked a good sponsor. In a few hours, you'll be wondering why you were worried."

Harry smiled gratefully at them, and started eating a bit more now that he wasn't as worried. Sure, he was still apprehensive about the whole thing, but it was good to remember that his friends would back him.

Harry was finished at 6:30, unable to keep eating. He stood to leave. "I'm going to go get ready. I'll see you all in a bit."

They all realized that he needed some time alone and just nodded. Harry left the Great Hall, nodding to various people who were watching him leave, and made his way to the Transfiguration room. Upon arriving, he pulled out his wand and practiced for a bit. It wouldn't do to fail at some of the moves that he was going to be teaching. Maybe he should have waited a bit longer after getting off restriction to make sure that his magical core was back? Then he shook his head. He knew that Pomfrey wouldn't have let him use magic if he wasn't fully recovered.

He used various spells around the room, pushing the desks and chairs against the far wall, and cast quite a few cushioning charms on the floor to be on the safe side. As he was casting, he remembered a conversation that he had with Sirius.

"_It just seems like everyone has these preconceived notions that everyone in each House has the same personality, and that the only personality for each House is the one the Sorting Hat mentions each year for the Song," Harry vented. He was thinking about all the times he had been classed as a 'stereotypical Gryffindor'. _

_Sirius nodded. "Inter House rivalry has been a problem since Godric and Salazar. I do agree that the Hat's Song does seem to encourage the idea that people are simply defined by their House and nothing more. What people need to remember is that each of those qualities have their pros and cons, and that everyone has many sides." He thought for a moment. "Take you, for example."_

"_What do you mean?" Harry asked, confused. _

"_Well, you have more courage than anyone I've ever met, which is a Gryffindor trait. Then I look at some of your schemes, which are clearly sneaky enough to be a Slytherin, and you are obviously as smart as a lot of the Ravenclaws. Your loyalty to people could put the entire House of Hufflepuff to shame. So you see, people can't be put into one box and be content with that one personality."_

Harry smiled as he remembered that conversation, loving how much faith his godfather had in him, and hoped that it wasn't going to be misplaced after tonight.

As he was musing, Flitwick came into the room, followed quickly by Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, and George. Flitwick posted himself in a chair close to the door. He told Harry that he was only there to assist if need be, but would not intervene unless asked to. When Harry looked at him, shocked, he said that as the leader of the DA, Harry was the one in charge, and that the role of a sponsor was simply a supporting role.

Harry nodded at him, and explained about the cushioning charms on the floor, getting a nod of approval. He tried to slip into his professional persona, knowing that he wasn't going to be able to be seen as "Just Harry" during these meetings, but as the person in charge. He was more grateful than ever for the lessons that Sirius had given him on how to project an air of confidence with his posture, his walk, and even with his speech. Sirius had taught him to keep that in place, even when he felt the furthest from confident than ever.

Therefore, he simply nodded a welcome to his friends and stayed at the front of the room. Hermione gave him an approving look, and more people filed in. He watched them , trying to make sure he knew most of their names. He had taken a look at the list of names, and was rather surprised at some of them. For example, Theodore Nott had joined. Harry was shocked, because he knew that Nott's father was a Death Eater, having seen him in the graveyard a few months prior. He supposed that Nott was one of the ones who was on the fence, as he trusted Dumbledore's parchment that wouldn't let a DE into the DA.

Looking at the time, he realized that it was 7 on the dot, and he went to close the door, letting in the last few stragglers. He shut it, and pulled out the parchment.

"Welcome to the first meeting of the DA. First, I'm going to call roll for two reasons. One, to make sure that everyone who signed is here and that no one who is here did not sign; and second to start learning all of your names."

He read off each name and was pleased that no one who did not was there. He folded the paper and put it back into his robes. Looking around at everyone, he saw that they were all factioned into their own Houses. Making a quick decision, he decided how to start.

"Alright, I know that this club is unusual for many reasons, not the least of which is the collection of those who signed up. I do want to reiterate my statement that there will be no favoritism here, regardless of Houses. I am not so naïve that I believe you will all be close friends after tonight, but I do expect there to be no hostilities. You will perform the spells I ask you to perform, and if anyone attacks someone unprovokingly, that person will be asked to leave."

"But why are you willing to teach them?" Michael, a third year Gryffindor asked, glaring at the Slytherin group, which was noticeably the smallest.

Harry nodded. He had expected this, and had already planned what to do next. Looking at Michael, he responded with a question of his own. "If I were to ask you to define a Slytherin, how would you respond?"

Michael looked shocked at the question, but composed himself. "They're all Death Eaters, or in training. They are evil, every one of them, and they can't be trusted with anything!"

There were quite a few nods around the room at the statement. Harry turned to the Slytherins. "Blaise," he called, and the fifth year looked up at him. "How would you define a Gryffindor?"

Blaise also looked shocked at the question. "They're idiots: all brawn and no brain. They rush into situations without thinking anything through. They're bullies who think they're better than everyone else."

Some of the Gryffindors looked ready to curse the Slytherin where he stood, but Harry stopped them. "Thank you for your honesty," he said, and turned to the Ravenclaws. "Rebecca," he called to the fourth year. "What do you think defines a Hufflepuff?"

That question threw everyone off guard, and she looked shocked. Harry knew that she was not fond of the badgers, but she squared her shoulders. "They are a far too trusting lot. They believe that everything is sunshine and rainbows. They are naïve and gullible, seeing the world through rose colored lenses."

Harry nodded. Then he turned to Hufflepuff and someone he had gotten to know quite well lately. "Susan, would you please define Ravenclaws?"

Susan thought about what Harry was doing, and was pleased. She answered partly what she thought, and part what her House thought. "They have no imagination and only believe what they read in books. If it can't be proven, it's not real to them."

Harry knew that tensions were getting pretty high, and knew how to cut through them. He looked over at a Ravenclaw sixth year. "Clare, tell me something about Daphne?" he asked.

Clare had known Daphne most of her life, and it was only House rivalries that had kept them apart for so long. "Daphne is one of the nicest people I know. She's always willing to help you if you need it, and is fiercely loyal to her friends."

The Slytherins all nodded at this assessment, and Harry smirked inwardly. "Sounds like a Hufflepuff trait, no?" he asked, and saw a few people's eyes light up in realization. He then turned to Ron. "Ron, could you tell us something about Ernie?" he asked, and Ron's brows shot up, surprised at being asked.

"He seems very ambitious," Ron said hesitantly, not wanting to answer wrong. "It's not a bad thing at all, but it's clear that he knows what he wants and is willing to do anything to get there."

"A Slytherin trait, maybe?" Harry asked, and most everyone caught onto the trap he'd laid for them. But he wasn't done yet. "Hannah, tell me something about Hermione."

The Hufflepuff nodded. "She's the smartest witch in the school. She doesn't pick fights, preferring to use her brain, instead."

Harry smiled this time. He was getting through to them. "Kind of like a Ravenclaw. Cho, could you tell me something about Luna?"

Cho smiled back at him. "Luna is a wonderful person. She has a great imagination, and believes in a lot of things that no one else does and isn't afraid to talk about them. She's a brutally honest person and will tell you what she thinks."

Harry nodded. "So she has a Gryffindor trait." He paused for a moment to let all of his words sink in. "Thank you to everyone who answered. This is exactly what I wanted to show you all. Being in a certain House does not constrain you to the stereotype that people view. Another thing I wish to point out is that all of your definitions of the Houses were negative. Ambition, one of the main examples of Slytherin House, is something that nearly everyone needs; to find a job they like, to do well in school, to stand up for what you believe in. Intelligence is vital to every generation; finding new spells and potions that we take for granted, but that someone had to create at one point or another. Loyalty is the foundation of any relationship, either romantic or platonic. Bravery is needed when others are afraid to do the right thing." He looked around and was amazed to see people hanging onto his every word. "I don't mean to bore you with a speech, but I need you all to see that no one House is eternally light or dark, that we all are in charge of our own destinies and personalities. I don't expect a pretty speech from me to make all of you friends today. I just want all of you to realize that I will not tolerate bigotry in this club. When you are here, you are not Slytherins and Ravenclaws, you are all Hogwarts students, and that is the only thing I care about."

He looked over at Flitwick, who was staring at him the same way everyone else was. Harry felt his face burning slightly at the looks of awe and incredulity he was getting. "That's enough talking for now, I think," he stuttered slightly. "Like I said last week, we are going to start with the basic spells from first year." Hearing the groans, he held up a hand. "If you already know these spells, you will move forward quickly. I will make a decision at the end of the night who will be able to move into the second class. Now, I want all of you to pair off and practice the Jelly Legs Jinx, a common first year defensive spell."

Harry felt it a bit odd to see everyone following his orders, but he was pleased. As expected, friends sought each other out, and pretty soon, people were wobbly walking around, and Harry had to remind quite a few people what the counter charm was.

There were only a few third years who struggled, and Harry kept them at it while he moved others up. He wasn't surprised, an hour later, when there were only a few groups that were even able to get all the OWL required spells correctly. He knew that the constant changing of professors, very few of which were even halfway decent, was a big part in keeping them from learning anything.

At the end of the class period he called out the names of the people he wanted to stay behind. Most of the Gryffindors that Harry knew in fifth through seventh years stayed with two from fourth year, all of the fourth through seventh from Ravenclaw, sixth and seventh with a handful from fifth from Hufflepuff, and only a few from Slytherin.

Harry told the beginner class that they would be meeting the next afternoon to get started and dismissed them. As soon as they had left the room, Harry closed the door with a wave of his wand and turned to the students waiting for him. "Alright, all of you showed that you are further than the others, and I believe that you will all move up to the upper class. If any of you start struggling, I hope you will either come to me, or seek help from another classmate. The difference between your class and the younger one is that you will be moving much faster, you will learn more spells, and also learn to incorporate them into a duel. Are there any questions?" Everyone shook their heads, so he nodded. "Alright, I'll see you all a week from today, same time."

Hermione and Ron hung back, waiting for everyone else to leave, but Harry motioned to them that he wanted a minute with Professor Flitwick, who hadn't said a word throughout the lesson; many forgot that he was even there.

"What did you think, sir?" Harry asked nervously.

"Mr. Potter, I honestly don't think you need a sponsor for this class," Flitwick told him. "I will still be coming, of course, but you handled that class better than a lot of the teachers I've met."

Harry gaped at him. "You're joking," Harry stated.

Flitwick laughed. "Not at all. You were very impressive, deftly handling the students, showing them what to do and not losing your patience with them. And the speech at the beginning was the most inspired thing that I have heard in all the years I've worked here."

Harry was beet red in embarrassment. He hadn't meant to talk for so long at the beginning, but he hoped that it would mean that his classes ran smoother now that they knew he wouldn't tolerate bigotry.

"Thank you, professor," Harry said instead. "I will see you in class."

Flitwick hid his amusement and nodded before leaving. Harry waited a moment before turning to leave, but the door opened, and Ron and Hermione came inside.

"That was amazing, Harry," Hermione gushed. "You really did a great job by starting with the early spells to see where everyone is at, and you picked the best students to move up. You were so patient, and that speech! That talk at the beginning was amazing, I can't believe how you managed to get everyone to think really hard about how stupid their prejudices are…"

"Take a breath, Hermione," Ron said with a grin. He turned to his friend. "It really was a good lesson, though."

Harry blushed again. "Thanks, guys. Well, I'm beat, and it's almost curfew. We don't want to get detention for hanging around."

They all nodded and hurried back to their common room. Harry felt like he was walking on air, he was so pleased. He was still stressed with the past few weeks, but it felt good to be actually doing something that would make a difference. They got into the common room, where Harry was bombarded with questions and amazement. Harry looked over and saw Michael in the corner with a scowl. Harry waved people off and went over to him.

"This seat taken?" he asked lightly, and received a glare. "Not happy with me?"

"I don't get you," Michael said quietly, but menacingly. "I thought you of all people would hate Slytherin House, but you are just so accepting of them."

Harry sighed and sat down. "Look, yes, there are Slytherins that I can't stand. But you have to understand that there are also Hufflepuffs that I don't like. Can I tell you something, something not many people know?"

Michael looked up curiously. "What?"

Harry looked down. "You know my godfather, Sirius Black was declared innocent, right?"

Michael nodded. "Yeah, it was someone else, and they framed him."

"That other man was Peter Pettigrew, one of my father's oldest friends. He was a Gryffindor," Harry said, and saw Michael's eyes widen. "He was a coward who thought that the light couldn't win the last war, so he joined Voldemort and betrayed my parents. He was a coward of the worst sort, but he was placed in Gryffindor. To this day, I don't understand that."

Michael looked at his hands. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want you to see that not all Death Eaters are from Slytherin, and while I hate some of them, I truly hate anyone who joined Voldemort, which includes people from all the Houses, and there are quite a few Slytherins who were neutral during the last war, and so far in this one." Harry stood to leave. "Just think about what I said, alright?" Michael nodded, and Harry walked back to his friends.

* * *

**So, I think I did alright with the first meeting. Yeah, I could have put in a fight, but again, Flitwick was there, and no one wants detention, even if it isn't with the toad. **

**Things will start picking up a bit more, I'm not going to be detailing every day they have, so no worries there!  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm so glad that people liked the last chapter! Been getting a lot of feedback lately, which is great. Some of the advise, I'll take, and others I won't, but I still appreciate all of it!**

* * *

The next few weeks passed at Hogwarts, and before Harry knew it, Halloween had arrived. The past few weeks had been a rollercoaster for Harry. His high points included the DA lessons, which were going better than he could have hoped. His beginner class had mastered all the spells from first year, and was already going through second year. The more advanced class was on fourth year material, but Harry wasn't moving them as fast for now, because he wanted them to work on their casting speed. Right now, they were mastering Protego, the shield spell. Only a few people had a strong enough shield to block Harry's spells when he cast them.

He also was able to use magic in classes again, though he was behind his peers for now. He had mastered Vanishing snails, but was having trouble with the mouse. He wished he had time to practice more, but he really didn't.

If ever there was a time that he was grateful to be on the Quidditch team, it was now. The feeling of freedom when in the air was occasionally the only thing that got him through the days, plus the adrenaline rush from the workouts. It also meant that he spent time with his friends, finding himself growing closer to all of them, not just the Weasleys.

If those were the high points, then he tried hard not to think of his low points. Umbridge had succeeded in giving him detention at least one night a week, more usually three or four. Snape was continuing to be disbelieving in his Potions skills, and continued to take points for the littlest things. He only assigned two more detentions, but they were on his only free nights, and that was starting to wear him thin.

As usual, he woke before his dorm mates and was overcome with the feeling of sadness he felt every year on this holiday. He made sure his curtains were closed tight and pulled out the photo album Hagrid had given him years ago and flipped through the pictures. It was the only thing he could really do to remember the wonderful people who were his parents. He tried to not think of their final moments, which were some of the only memories he had of them, courtesy of the dementors.

He looked at the time, and saw that breakfast was about to start. As it was a Saturday, most of his dorm mates preferred to sleep in, but he was wide awake. He slipped the album back into his trunk and grabbed his bag, putting in his homework and the healing book he was nearly finished with. The lessons with Poppy were going quite well, and he was learning more than he ever thought he would. She had already suggested he pursue a career as a healer, which flabbergasted him, having never thought of anything other than being an Auror.

He was thinking it over as he walked into the Great Hall, and found that there were few people who were awake already, but he saw Blaise, Nott, and the Greengrass sisters at one end of the Slytherin table. He had attempted to sit with them more than once, but the last time ended with both him and Malfoy in detention for fighting. But the Slytherin prince wasn't there yet, so he decided to take the plunge.

"Mind if I sit here?" he asked bravely, looking at Zabini.

Blaise looked a bit shocked, but he nodded, and waved at one of the open seats. "Go for it, Potter."

Harry sat and started serving himself, drinking deeply from the coffee. Sirius had gotten him to like the bitter drink over the holiday. "You guys going to Hogsmeade today?" he asked.

Nott nodded. "Looking forward to getting out of the castle for the day. There's no class today, right?" he asked. Harry had told them that the previous week, as it was a holiday. He gave the beginner class the next day off as well. They all were working hard and deserved a break.

"Yeah, that way no one has to worry about it, since there's a feast tonight," Harry said, and laughed. "I doubt many would show up even if I said we were going to have it."

Astoria giggled. Harry didn't know her very well, but she seemed like a sweet girl, but with a wicked sense of humor. "You're probably right about that."

When the conversation started lagging, Harry pulled out his Potions homework on more complex antidotes and continued his essay, since he knew he wasn't going to get anything done later that day.

Blaise looked at the parchment. "That's not necessarily true," he commented, pointing to one sentence.

Harry looked up in shock, then looked at the sentence. "Really?"

Blaise nodded at him and went on to explain. Pretty soon, both had their essays out and were working hard on them, and finished quickly.

"Thanks for the help," Harry said truthfully. "You're really good at Potions, huh?"

The Slytherin shrugged with a grin. "You really think that Snape would let us be anything else?"

Harry nodded, and started to put his essay away.

"Cheating of another student, Potter?" a sickly sweet voice demanded.

Harry bit back a groan as he turned to look at the pink wearing professor. "No, ma'am. Blaise was just helping me with an essay. You can see that I have not copied anything."

"I don't think so. That will be two days worth of detentions, one for lying and one for cheating."

"He didn't copy off me!" Blaise exclaimed incredulously. Even the Slytherins had realized how their DADA professor had it in for Potter, but he'd never realized how much.

Umbridge glared at the boy. "Potter is not bribing you to say that, is he?"

Blaise raised his brows. "Of course not. Potter doesn't need to copy; he's quite good, actually."

Umbridge huffed and stomped off to the head table, and Zabini turned to him. "Wow, she's got it in for you."

Harry nodded. "That she does. Thanks for sticking up for me."

"Please," Blaise scoffed, and they finished putting their things away.

Harry bade him farewell and wished him a good time in Hogsmeade, said goodbye to the rest of the table and made his way over to his friends at the Gryffindor table. He waited for them to finish eating, and they made their way to the village.

As soon as they got there, they split up, Harry and Hermione went to the small bookstore, Ron to get sweets, and Ginny went to Zonkos. Harry found a few more books to add to his collection, one on wards, one detailing advanced potion making that he would have to wait a while to read, and one on dueling tactics. He knew that he was going to be relying on Flitwick more for that, but it wouldn't hurt to know about it before he touched on it with his classes. Hermione had bought quite a few as well, and they met up with the others, continuing their shopping. Harry bought a box each of Chocolate Frogs and Sugar Quills, but chose to bypass Zonkos. He was a part owner of a prank shop, and he would ask the twins for anything if he needed a good prank. He stopped by the tiny apothecary and stocked up on more ingredients and a new set of scales, as his was getting old.

They met up with friends from various Houses at the Three Broomsticks for lunch. Harry was pleased to see Clare and Daphne in a corner talking, Hermione was in a rapt discussion with Lisa Turpin about Transfiguration classes, and Ron was debating chess strategies with Ernie. Harry sat back, sipping on his butterbeer with a satisfied smile on his face.

"What's that smirk for?" Ginny asked, sitting down next to him.

"Huh?" Harry asked, looking at her. "I'm just happy to see the Houses interacting more."

Ginny smiled at him. "That's only because of you, you know."

Harry waved her off. "They just needed someone to take their blinders off, and I did that during the DA meetings."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You are too modest for your own good, Potter," she declared.

Harry chuckled. "I just don't claim credit when I don't have a right to." Before she could continue with her line of thought, he switched subjects. "By the way, how long have you and Michael Corner been dating?"

Ginny gasped and stared at him, then quickly turned to Ron, who was thankfully still arguing with Ernie. "How on earth do you know about that?" she demanded.

Harry laughed. "You've been partnering with him a lot in the DA, and you always arrive together and leave together."

Ginny nibbled on her lip. "You haven't talked to Ron about it, have you?"

He shook his head. "That's your business, Ginny. You have a right to date who you want. And I think that Ron is a bit busy not making his own move to think about your love life."

She giggled. "Think he and Hermione will ever figure it out?" she whispered.

"Eventually," Harry told her. "They're both so stubborn though, that it will take something big for them to admit it."

They changed the topic again, and before they knew it, it was time to head back to the castle for the feast. A lot of them hurried to change clothes, and Harry took his purchases upstairs. As he was putting his new books away, he caught a glimpse of his Animagus book. Thinking about it, he realized that he hadn't tried his form since that fateful night over the summer. Hearing Ron behind him, he hurried to close the trunk, and quickly got ready.

As they walked to the Great Hall, Harry was thinking hard. He knew that he was already incredibly busy, but he remembered how much he loved learning wandless magic and practicing his wolf form. The problem was that he didn't want others to know about either of those just yet.

When they got to the Great Hall, they all sighed in happiness. Halloween at Hogwarts was always a special occasion. The smell was intoxicating, and there were mountains of food on every inch of the tables. They all hurried to sit, and dug in, nearly moaning in appreciation of the delicious food. The chatter in the hall was loud and boisterous, but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Harry was content to sit back and enjoy the evening. All in all, it seemed to be a wonderful day, despite its history.

He should have known that he had jinxed himself with thoughts like that. As the feast wound down, he and his friends started heading back to the Tower, but Harry was pulled back by three Ravenclaw seventh years.

"Can we talk to you, Potter?" one of them said. Harry didn't know their names, and knew that they weren't in the DA.

"Sure," Harry said, stopping just outside the doors to the Great Hall, Ron and Hermione stopping as well.

"In private," he said, looking around.

Harry studied them for a minute, then turned to his friends. "I'll see you back in the Tower," he said, and then leaned in. "If I'm not back in twenty minutes, tell McGonagall," he told Hermione, who nodded nervously.

The four wizards walked away from the crowds down a lesser used corridor and into a classroom.

"Alright, what did you want to talk about?" Harry asked, his hand already clenched around his wand inside his robes.

"We were just a bit curious. Why did you start the DA?" a different one asked.

Harry started, and began to get nervous. He wished he hadn't gone off with three older wizards alone. "We've had horrible teachers in Defense, and I don't see how so many people have passed their OWLs and NEWTs in DADA. This will help nearly all the years with their grades. Also," he continued on, despite the alarm in his brain sending out a chime, "I know that it's important for students to be able to defend themselves. We aren't in peaceful times anymore, and I want to give them a chance to defend themselves and their families against Death Eaters."He looked at them, and none seemed willing to say anything, waiting on him to continue, and tensed. He knew that he shouldn't continue, but he was going to. "We also need more House unity. I know that people have joined Voldemort because they felt like they didn't have any other options."

"So you're wanting to cut down of the Dark Lord's supporters?" the last one asked, only focusing on one part of what Harry had said.

Harry stiffened further and turned slightly so that his back was to a wall. "That's right," he said quietly.

They reacted faster than he would have thought. Each sent a stunner at him at the same time. Harry blocked two, and rolled out of the way of the last. He sent his own pair of stunners at the leader, knocking him out quickly. He dived behind a desk, hearing it crack as more spells hit it. He fought the flashbacks of the fight in the alley with Sirius, and tried to focus on the fight at hand. He sent several spells back at them, but he was outnumbered, and was having a hard time getting any spells off.

Remembering a move that Sirius had used against him, he cast a quick water spell on the floor and froze it. That made them hesitant to move closer to him, for fear of slipping on the ice. Harry knew that it wasn't going to do much, so he took a leaf out of Flint's book and sent the dancing spell at one, who promptly fell and hit his head on one of the desks, knocking him out. But now, the last one had revived the leader that had fallen to Harry's stunner, so it was still two against one.

Harry didn't think, he just continued to fire spells at them. He knew that if he didn't find a way to end this, it wasn't going to be good for him. Without thinking about it, he cast two snakes, and hissed at them to subdue the students. When he was sure that they were sufficiently distracted, he stunned one, but then fell with a cry as the leader cast a bone breaking hex at his right shoulder.

Harry screamed in pain and his wand dropped out of his pain filled hand. Now enraged, he turned to the leader and focused on his magic, flinging him into the wall. The student crumpled on the ground, unmoving. Harry was never so grateful for having learned wandless magic as he was right then.

With a groan of pain, he picked up his wand in his left hand, was about to attempt the spell to fix his shoulder when the door flew open. He ignored his injury and leveled his wand at the door, ready to curse anyone who entered.

The curse died in his throat as he saw McGonagall and Dumbledore rushing in. He dropped his left arm and his fighting stance, gritting his teeth as his injury registered again.

"Mr. Potter!" Minerva cried as she hurried over to him. "Where are you hurt?"

"Shoulder," Harry told her tightly. While she looked it over closely, he turned to the headmaster. "These three asked to talk to me alone after the feast. I foolishly agreed to, and when we were alone, they demanded to know why I had started the DA. When I explained, they attacked me. I am willing to provide a pensieve memory to prove that it was self defense."

Dumbledore looked grave as he took in the scene: the ice melting on the floor, one student bleeding from a cut on his head, one stunned, and one crumpled on the ground. "We will discuss this tomorrow. For now, let's head to the Hospital Wing and allow Madame Pomfrey to look at you."

Harry nodded, and McGonagall cast a short time numbing spell to his shoulder. She walked with Harry to the Hospital Wing, and they left Dumbledore with the three students in the classroom.

"Poppy!" Minerva called when they walked in the doors.

"Minerva, is there a problem?" Pomfrey asked, looking at a paper on her desk.

"I would like you to take a look at Mr. Potter, if you would," she said pointedly.

Pomfrey stood quickly and walked over. "Mr. Potter, I was hoping that your visits here would continue to be academic related," she said sternly, steering him towards a bed with a critical eye at his arm, which was cradled to his chest.

Minerva looked at the two, confused, but did not say anything. "Mr. Potter was attacked by several older students this evening," she informed the nurse.

Pomfrey glowered, but kept her mouth shut for now. "The damage is not bad, but I would feel better if you stayed the night."

Harry bit back a groan. He hated sleeping in the Hospital Wing. He turned to his Head of House. "Professor, would you be willing to bring something from my dorm?"

Minerva looked at him, shocked. "What is it that you need?"

"Under my pillow, there is a small mirror. It's how I keep in touch with Sirius, and we were supposed to talk tonight. If he has been trying to get a hold of me and has been unable to, he'll be getting worried."

McGonagall nodded. She had assumed that the two had a way of communicating, and also knew how protective Sirius was of his godson. "I will bring that shortly. I will also inform Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger of your whereabouts."

Harry nodded in gratitude, and saw his teacher and the nurse exchange a significant look before she left. Pomfrey healed his arm quickly and gave him a pain potion. She looked at his bandage covered hand. She had noticed that he kept it covered at all times, but knew that he wouldn't answer truthfully if she were to ask. "Here are a set of pajamas for you, Mr. Potter. I expect that you will keep your conversation with Mr. Black short, as you need your rest."

Harry stifled a chuckle, and nodded at her. "Of course, ma'am."

McGonagall returned a short while later, mirror in hand. "Your friends were quite worried about you, they will likely visit in the morning before you are discharged," she said, giving him a rare smile. "Sleep well, Mr. Potter," she told him, then turned to leave.

Harry grabbed the mirror and was about to say the man's name, when he heard his own. "Hey, Sirius."

The face of Harry's godfather filled the mirror, filled with worry. "Where have you been, kiddo? I've been trying to call you for over an hour!"

Harry grimaced. "Sorry about that. How's your day been?"

Sirius knew that something was wrong, but had enough experience over the past several weeks to know that it wouldn't do anything to ask Harry. "It's been alright. Remus is here, he's on a break from the Order, decided to come by for a visit."

Harry perked up at that. "Tell him hi for me," he said eagerly. He really did miss the former professor, having spent so long at his house over the summer. They'd exchanged a few owls, but it wasn't the same.

The mirror was passed, and Harry saw both the men now. "Hey, Harry," Remus said tiredly. The full moon had only been two nights ago, and he was still exhausted. The transformation got harder the older the werewolf.

"How have you been?" Harry asked.

"I've been busy," he replied with a smile. Harry had told him to take it easy in his last letter.

"Well, I'm glad you're taking some time off, I'm sure Padfoot can be good company when he wants to be," he said teasingly. "How are things in Spain?" he asked Sirius.

"The same," Sirius said with a groan. "The Head is being stubborn. I'm honestly not sure if we can count on them for help, they take their neutrality rather seriously here."

Harry sighed, he knew that the Order was counting on allies. "I wish there was something I could do," he said.

Remus smiled slightly. "From what Sirius was telling me, you are. How's the DA going?"

Harry smiled. "They're doing really well. The beginner class just mastered Expelliarmus and is about to start the Impediment Jinx, which I wanted to teach before we do Stunning. The advanced class is going a bit slower, because we're learning Shielding, and I want to make sure that everyone has a really good shield before we move on. Practicing shield charms is also a good way for them to improve their casting speed. I'll be starting them on Reducto and then make sure they can Stun properly."

Sirius and Remus beamed at him. It was clear that he was wonderful at teaching, and was thinking things through. "I'm proud of you, pup," Sirius told him meaningfully. "Have there been any fights between the Houses?"

"To be honest, very few that I've seen," Harry admitted. He was just as surprised as everyone else at the lower levels of animosity between some of the students, at least those in the DA. "It's not so much that everyone suddenly loves each other, they just don't fight."

"How did that happen?" Sirius asked, having known how worried Harry was about any infighting.

"I just made them realize before we started how stupid the prejudices are, plus I've been sitting with a lot of other tables lately, getting to know everyone. I've only gotten to sit with the Slytherins once, because Malfoy makes a big stink about it, but I've started to notice friendships form between the Houses. I'm really happy about that."

Sirius and Remus were beyond pleased. The teen was clearly working hard, and they couldn't be happier about it.

Harry yawned, feeling the long day catch up with him. "I should probably head to bed, I'm pretty wiped." Healing always took a lot out of him, but he wasn't about to say that. This was an even harder day for the two remaining Marauders, and he didn't want Sirius to storm the castle because Harry had gotten hit with a hex.

Sirius gave a small chuckle. "Sleep well, kiddo, we'll talk next weekend."

"Take care, Harry," Remus said.

Harry put the mirror away in the bag by his bed and laid back. His happiness at seeing the two adults he trusted started fading away. He missed them quite a bit, and couldn't wait for it to be winter break so that he could leave the castle and spend time with them.

Right now, though, he had a lot to consider. The attack only an hour ago came rushing back to him. He hated thinking about people he went to school with attacking him like that, and it was clear that they were Voldemort sympathizers at the least and marked Death Eaters at the most. Harry examined the fight against them, and knew that it had more to do with luck that he was alright. He would have to find a way to train a lot more heavily and do quite a bit more studying. He knew that this was unlikely to be a one time thing.

Another problem was what the reactions of Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Umbridge would be in the morning. He really hoped that he would escape without detention at the least, but he wasn't sure. Umbridge would try to have him in detention for this for the rest of the year. Perhaps McGonagall and Dumbledore would be willing to at least listen to his story before handing him over to that toad?

Thinking more about the battle, he determined that it was time to buckle down on his reading and training. The problem was that he was already struggling to keep up with everything. Thinking about it some more, he checked the door to Poppy's quarter's and saw that they were shut tight.

"Dobby?" he whispered into the darkness.

A CRACK sounded in the room. "Harry Potter, sir!" he said a bit loudly.

"Shh!" Harry said frantically, glancing again at the door.

"Sorrys, sir," Dobby said in a whisper. "Whats do yous need?"

"First, do house elves know privacy wards or something like that? I don't want to wake anyone else up," he explained.

"Of course we cans, sir!" Dobby said, and snapped his fingers, and Harry felt the magic pool around them. "Alrighties, now no one can hears us."

"Brilliant, Dobby," Harry complimented. "I guess I don't know much about house elf magic, huh?"

"It's alright, Harry Potter! No one knows, because no one thinks to asks."

Harry nodded. He had seen the shortsightedness of many wizards. Of course they would overlook the magic of the beings that took care of them, he thought disgustedly. Harry gave the elf a brief run -down of what he was needing and wanting, then waited anxiously as the elf thought hard.

"What about the Come and Go Room?" he asked, eyes widening in realization.

"The what?"

"The Come and Go Room. Many wizards call it the Room of Requirement. It appears when ones has need of it, and gives what yous need."

Harry grinned. "That's brilliant, Dobby. How do I get there?"

Dobby explained where to go and what to do. When Harry asked if the elf would have to tell Dumbledore about Harry asking, he shook his head. "House elves is tied to the school, not the Headmaster. This be in case old headmaster die, and new one not be chosen for a time. Many house elves is loyal to headmaster, but if you not wish Dobby to tell Headmaster, Dobby keep your secret," he promised.

Harry smiled at the elf. He had grown a soft spot for Dobby over the years, and was pleased to have his confidence, and to learn even more about the species. "Thanks, Dobby. I won't keep you from bed anymore. I appreciate you helping me out."

"Of course, Harry Potter, sir!" he said happily before POPing out.

Harry leaned back against his pillows and thought about the RoR. He remembered hearing Dumbledore say something about it at the Yule Ball the year before, but he hadn't given it a second thought. It sounded like it was exactly what he needed. As soon as he was free the next day, he vowed to go and find that room.

* * *

The next day, Madame Pomfrey woke him with a tray of breakfast, saying that he was to stay there until he ate it. Harry just nodded, and pulled out the book on healing. He was on the final chapter of reading, though he and Pomfrey were less than halfway through it in their lessons. The book itself only covered the basics; he would have to find another if he wanted more advanced knowledge. He had already learned the spells for burns, cuts, splinting a broken bone, and they had begun diagnostic spells. Pomfrey had told him that by Christmas he might be able to learn how to mend broken bones, and that he would learn about healing concussions during the spring term.

Just the week prior, he had been able to test his new abilities on a student. The first year Gryffindor had fallen off her broom during a flying class and was brought to the hospital wing during his lesson with the nurse. Pomfrey had asked him to try the diagnostic spell, and when it was found that she only had a few scrapes, had Harry heal those as well. Harry thought he did alright, though he felt bad when he saw the tiny scars. Pomfrey had assured him, though, that they would fade as the healing spells continued their work, which was why she always had her patients rest for a while afterwards. Harry felt better with this knowledge, and now understood why she was after him to rest so much after she healed him.

Harry had just read the last page of his book and put it in his bag when the doors burst open and Umbridge, Dumbledore, and McGonagall came inside in that order.

"Mr. Potter, I demand to know why you attacked three students!" Umbridge screeched.

Harry looked up in shock at the way the question was phrased, and turned to the Headmaster. "Professor?" he asked.

Dumbledore drew his wand and conjured three chairs. "I believe that what Professor Umbridge meant was that we wish to know what happened last night."

Harry nodded, and took a deep breath before starting his tale; beginning with the student's approaching him in the Great Hall and leading him to the classroom. He told them about their questions, and how they were the first to start attacking him. He mentioned the spells that he had used, but did not mention his wandless abilities. He thanked Merlin that Sirius had taught him how to lie convincingly over the summer. He finished the story with the last student sending the bone breaking hex at him at the same time he sent a banishing charm back.

Umbridge scoffed at him when he finished and turned to Albus. "Headmaster, I demand that you expel this boy. Clearly he began the fight and is attempting to sully the names of the other students with his vicious lies!"

"Sit down, Dolores," McGonagall snapped. "You are welcome to join us when we question the three students. It seems that Mr. Potter did nothing except defend himself admirably against three students who are two years above him!"

Umbridge glared at both Harry and Minerva, but sat back down, face red in her anger.

Dumbledore turned to Harry. "Thank you for telling us your side. We will be talking to the other students now, and I will let you know what happens."

Harry nodded. "Thank you, professors," he said, nodding at each of them, though it was rather stiffly towards Umbridge.

When the professors left, Harry groaned and put his head in his hands. He truly was worried about what would happen because of this. Clearly Umbridge was convinced that he was to blame, and he hoped that the other teachers would be willing to investigate fully before doing anything. Having a sudden stroke of inspiration, he called Dobby again.

"Yes, Harry Potter, sir?" Dobby asked, excited at seeing him yet again.

"Hey, Dobby, sorry to call you again. I had a favor to ask of you."

"Anything!" Dobby said happily.

Harry told him exactly where the fight had taken place. Having gone through his Occlumency the night before and analyzing every aspect of the fight, he remembered a few portraits in the hall, and one was even in the room with them! "Could you find out whose portrait that was? That might help me immensely, if the portrait was magical and could talk to the Headmaster for me."

Dobby was furious that someone would accuse Harry Potter of starting a fight, and vowed to do anything he could, and have the portrait go to the Headmaster's office.

As soon as the elf was gone, Harry sat back with a smile. This was a great idea, as he wasn't the one asking the portrait, and it wasn't as though he could threaten or bribe one, if that was going to be Umbridge's next thought.

Pomfrey examined him shortly thereafter, and declared him able to leave the Hospital Wing. As Harry was leaving, he saw Ron and Hermione hurrying towards him.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped, and ran to give him a hug. "How are you? Oh, you must tell us what happened to you. And what did the professors say? Are you alright, how badly were you hurt?"

Harry laughed at her questioning. "I'm alright, Hermione. I had a broken shoulder, which was why I had to stay in the Hospital Wing over night. The professors aren't sure what to think, though Umbridge is all fired up for my expulsion."

Both his friends gasped at that. "You're not joking, are you?" Ron asked grimly.

"Nope," Harry said, then filled them in on his plan of sending Dobby to check for portraits who might have witnessed.

"That's brilliant, Harry," Hermione exclaimed. "And the portraits in Hogwarts are bound by magic to tell the truth to the Headmaster, it's part of the magic of the castle. Most of them don't report to anyone about what they see and hear, but if they are asked, they have to tell the truth!"

"Really?" Harry asked. He hadn't had much of a chance to read Hogwarts, A History, except for the rules chapters.

"Of course, that's why the tenth headmaster of the school allowed portraits to be hung. There are only a few rooms that don't have portraits, except for dorm rooms and bathrooms, of course."

Ron and Harry shuddered at the idea of portraits watching them bath or sleep, that was too creepy to think about, but the rest of it made sense.

"So what are we going to do until they talk to you later?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know about you two, but I have a pile of homework that I haven't worked on, so I was going to head to the library. I just need to let someone know where I'm at in case one of the professors needs me."

Ron grumbled, but they all agreed, and stopped by the tower to get their books. Harry also grabbed his new book on dueling tactics, which he would read later if he had the time. They walked together, talking about the fight, and Harry told them about the spells he had used to fight them, which had them both amazed.

"Where did you learn things like that?" Hermione demanded.

Harry chuckled. "The ice trick is one that Sirius used against me at Beauxbatons. The snake trick was one that I used on him, I just recycled from Malfoy back in second year."

"What's recycled mean?" Ron asked, as it was a Muggle concept, and Hermione quickly explained what it meant.

"And you guys remember where I got the idea for the dancing spell from," Harry finished darkly.

That silenced all of them, and by then, they were at the library. Harry pulled out his Transfiguration essay, which was grueling. He wandered over to that section and pulled out a few books he thought would help him out and started reading.

Ron, of course, was the first one finished and told them he was headed out to the pitch. Harry was pleased to see that he was taking his position as Keeper very seriously, but made sure to do his school work first. Hermione was finished next, and went back to the common room.

When Harry put the finishing touches on his Arithmancy homework, he stood to leave, but was intercepted by McGonagall.

"Come with me, Mr. Potter," she ordered, and Harry hurried to put the books away, lest he be banned from the library, and he hurried to follow her. They walked quickly to the headmaster's office, and she gave the password ("Pumpkin Pasties") and walked up the stairs.

The first thing Harry saw was that the three students were there with scowls on their faces, Umbridge, Dumbledore, and a bald, black man that looked very commanding, but also calming.

"Mr. Potter, come have a seat," Dumbledore said, and Harry sat a few feet away from his attackers. "Is this the student?" he asked a portrait next to him.

"That is him, headmaster. He answered the questions from those three," the man said, pointing at the Ravenclaws. "Once he answered, they attacked him at the same time, and it was a lot of talent that the boy showed that he was able to fight them all off."

Dumbledore nodded, and turned to Harry. "I'm not sure if you recognize this man. His name is Gamel Moore, and was ironically known in his days for his fight against bullies," he said with a stern look at the three seventh years. "He came to see me in regards to the incident that took place last night. This is Kingsley Shacklebolt," he said, pointing at the man. "He is an Auror in the DMLE, and Professor Umbridge requested that he be here to hear testimony."

Harry sneaked a glance at Umbridge, who was fuming in anger at Harry being the clear victim of the attack. Kingsley looked at ease.

"Now, as we have two witnesses who say that these three were the aggressors, and as they are of age, the minimal dosage of Veritaserum is allowed."

Umbridge looked even more furious at that announcement, and appeared to be chewing her lip to keep from screaming her frustrations.

Kingsley took out a small vial from his robes, and administered two drops of the clear liquid to each Ravenclaw.

The questioning was fast and final. Each boy admitted to having attacked Harry because of his work with the DA to keep more people from joining Voldemort. When asked if they were marked Death Eaters, they each responded with a nod, and Harry clenched his fists in anger. When asked if they had intended on killing Harry, they responded that it wasn't their intention, but that they would have been more than okay with it.

When Harry heard that, he lowered his head into his hands. How had things come so far that now one former and three current students were willing to assist in his murder?

He looked up at the Auror. "May I ask them a question?" he asked quietly.

Kingsley looked at him for a moment. He felt bad for the teen, as the questioning must have been hard to hear. "I would need to know the question before you ask it, as only certain questions may be asked."

McGonagall handed Harry a piece of parchment and a quill, and Harry quickly wrote his question, and handed it first to Dumbledore, whose eyes widened, and he nodded at Harry before handing it to Kingsley.

Kingsley read it, and his brows rose dramatically. He looked at Harry and then at Dumbledore for confirmation, and they both nodded. He cleared his throat. "Were any of you involved in the attack several weeks ago against Harry Potter and Ginevra Weasley in a corridor outside the Owlery?"

Harry's heart plummeted when all three shook their heads, a feeling that was shared by all the adults in the room, bar Umbridge. That meant that there was still someone in the castle willing to harm Harry.

Harry barely heard the rest of the questioning, he just wanted to get out of there. He vaguely heard Kingsley place them under arrest and then take them to the Ministry for processing. As soon as they were gone, he looked at his Head of House.

"May I be excused, professor?" he asked quietly.

McGonagall's heart ached for her lion, and she nodded. "We have everything we need. We will need to contact your guardian to let him know what ha…"

"NO!" Harry shNot outed reflexively, then winced at his own tone. "I'm sorry, but please don't." He was about to mention the mission he was on, but remembered that Umbridge was still in the room. "He's abroad right now, and he would drop everything to come up here." He looked at her pointedly, and she nodded almost imperceptively.

"Very well, I won't let him know right now. I shall, however, inform him upon his return," she told him. "You are excused, though."

Harry took the opportunity and fled. He gripped his bag and his wand, which had been in his robes. He quickly made his way to find the Room of Requirement, as he desperately needed to blow off some steam.

* * *

**Not the best place to end it, but it would have been too long, otherwise. I'll try and update soon :-)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Quick update :-D Hopefully this makes up for how upset some people have been over where my story is going, though I doubt it. I'm not sure when the next update is going to be, since my teachers love to assign way too much reading for us. I hope that the next chapter will be up by Friday at the latest!**

* * *

He paced in front of the wall three times as Dobby had told him, and a door suddenly appeared. He hurried inside and closed it tightly behind him. He looked around, awed. There were dummies of many sizes, and a bookcase lined with books that he could use. One wall was also covered in targets of many sizes so that he could practice his accuracy.

He went over to one of the dummies, and took a look at it. It could be programmed with many different skills sets, and he set it to a seventh year Hogwarts student. He turned it on, and immediately began dueling. It was downed in less than ten minutes, so Harry pulled out a second dummy, practicing with two this time.

The two worked him hard, and he managed to beat them after half an hour. He felt annoyed with himself for having taken so long, but he truly felt better than he had before. Putting the dummies back against the wall, he looked around, wishing that he had his copy of his Animagus book. A brand new copy of it appeared in front of him, and he grinned. Opening it, he refreshed himself on a lot, remembering what to do, and vowed to take another look at **Being Lupine** later that night.

He set the book down, and sat on a cushion that the room provided. He focused back into his meditative trance, and thought about his fur, which then sprouted along his hands, and he felt it creeping along his shoulders, down his back, along his legs, and then focused on his skin.

When he was back to normal, he was gasping for breath. He had forgotten how much magic it takes to do that. He had started to think of magic as a muscle. It needs to be exercised regularly, or it would grow weaker. That also explained why his core had been depleted after making the transformation so quickly.

He then focused on turning his hands into paws. It took nearly half an hour for him to do it, and almost twenty to turn back to normal. He knew then that he needed to take a break. He had done quite a bit of magic over the last twenty hours, and he saw that there was only an hour until lunch time.

Remembering his thoughts the night before, he wondered if the Room had some type of time delay feature on it, so that he had more time to practice and learn. Suddenly, three clocks appeared on the wall, and he was instructed to pick one. He noticed that one was normal time, one showed every hour was two hours in the room, and one was three hours in the room. Thinking about it, he realized that if every hour of 'normal' time meant three hours in the Room, he could maximize his time and get quite a bit accomplished!

He tapped the last clock, and set an alarm so that he would leave in time for lunch. Pulling out his book on dueling, he started reading. Three hours later, or one hour for the rest of the castle, he put his book down, and went down to lunch.

He sought out Ron and Hermione and sat with them, digging into the food. Hermione could tell that something was bothering him, and asked him where he'd been all morning.

"Dumbledore called me to his office, and the three Ravenclaws were arrested and taken to the Ministry," he mumbled.

Hermione gasped, and Ron stared at him. They all looked over at the Ravenclaw table, and saw that many of them were openly glaring at him. Harry sighed. It was sad, but he was resigned to being hated while at Hogwarts by a lot of the student body. Sirius referred to it as 'mob mentality,' that you just do whatever the crowd does, without thinking about it for yourself. It had happened to him so often over the years that he wasn't quite as fazed by it anymore. Just as Dumbledore stood to make the announcement about the upperclassmen, he hurried to leave, headed back to the RoR.

Once inside, he again set the time delay feature and continued reading his book. He was having a harder time focusing now, though. He had truly hoped that all his work over the past several weeks to unite the houses would prevent something like this, but it seemed he was wrong. Maybe he would go and sit with some of the fifth year Ravenclaws, and at least let them hear his side of the story before passing judgment on him. Ravenclaws were known for being logical, so hopefully they would hear him out. If the students had been Hufflepuffs, then their own House loyalty would have likely been put first, so he would be grateful that they hadn't been badgers.

With that thought in his head, he focused his attention back onto the book. After a few chapters, he started getting a bit bored with it, so he stood to take a look at some of the other books the rooms provided. He found a rather thick, dusty book that caught his eye for some strange reason, and lifted it down. Taking a quick glance at it, he found that it was a book on magical theory and history. Now intrigued, he took it over to an armchair that appeared and started skimming through some of the pages.

It began by detailing the likely beginning of magic, all the way back to Merlin. He found more information on a person's magical core than in his Animagus books and his Occlumency books put together. Harry discovered that his idea of magic being similar to a muscle was partly correct, in that a person can strengthen it by practicing regularly, and vice versa. However, he also found that a person's spell casting strength also comes from how large their magical core is, which is something one is born with.

The book then went on to say that although you are born with it, there are ways to increase your magical core, though they are dangerous, and should only be used for people with very weak magic, or squibs. He also found one of the reasons that people seemed inclined to follow Voldemort. Apparently, the more magic that was in your line, the more likely you are to have a stronger core. Thinking about it, he realized that while Hermione was a very intelligent witch and knew more spells than most, Ron's spells had a bit more of a punch to them.

Harry was fascinated, and wondered why something like this wasn't taught at Hogwarts. He was learning quite a bit about the history of magic as well as the physics of magic as well.

For example, everyone thought of the Unforgivables as being unblockable. That the only way to prevent being hit with them was to either block it with an object or to dodge it. However, the Unforgivables were spells like any other, they were just much stronger. Therefore, it takes a much stronger shield to resist. Harry found quite a few spells for more powerful shields that he was going to try out when he had the time. He also read that few shields were able to block physical objects, only spells. Harry noted the spells that could block physical objects as well, and made a mental note to attempt them as well. Rather than a magical shield, they were generally made of the actual air around the caster, making it harder, and able to block any physical objects banished at them.

When his alarm sounded, letting him know that it was time to head to dinner, Harry was disappointed. He marked his place and put it back on the shelf, not wanting anyone to ask where he'd gotten it. He would definitely be back to read it more.

Harry was making his way to the Great Hall when he was pulled from behind into a classroom. He had his wand out and a curse on his lips, but the words died in his throat when he saw that his 'attackers' were the Weasley twins.

"Don't do that to me," he warned, stowing his wand back into his robes.

"Sorry about that," George said with a sheepish grin.

"We just wanted to talk to you before you went to dinner," Fred finished.

Harry nodded. "Clearly. What's up?"

"Are you alright?" they asked in unison. When Harry looked at them, confused, Fred elaborated.

"When Dumbledore told everyone about what happened,"

"And no one had seen you since lunch," George continued.

"We got a little worried how you were dealing," Fred finished.

Harry felt a strange sensation in him. Sure, he was used to Sirius and Remus being concerned, and the same with Ron and Hermione. This, though, felt like he had older siblings, ones who genuinely cared about him. He cleared his throat. "I won't lie and tell you that I'm perfectly fine," he told them. "It also doesn't help that they aren't the ones who attacked me and Ginny a few weeks ago. I guess I don't know how I'm doing."

The twins nodded. They had assumed as much, and were pleased that he wasn't using his typical 'I'm fine' line that he always would use.

"Where are you sitting tonight?" Fred asked.

Harry looked at them, confused. "I was planning on sitting with the Ravenclaws, to see what happens."

They nodded again, having assumed as much. "We're with you," George told him. When Harry tried to protest, he waved him off. "Don't bother."

"We told you the first night back," Fred continued.

"That we've got your back," George finished.

Harry smiled at them. "Thanks," he said, feeling better than he had before.

The three left the classroom and made their way to dinner, going straight to the Ravenclaw table, and those that he already had a good rapport with.

"These seats taken?" he asked Terry Boot, who stared at the Gryffindors.

"G-go for it," he stammered, glancing nervously between him and Anthony.

Harry, George and Fred sat down and started serving themselves, ignoring the looks they were getting from everyone. Harry looked up at them, and forced a smile. "How was your day at Hogsmeade yesterday?" he asked conversationally.

Anthony's face relaxed into a bit of a smile. "It was alright. I had a few things to take care of before the feast, so I didn't get to be there as long as I'd like, but there's another one before Christmas break, which should be better."

Harry nodded as he continued eating. He was looking forward to visiting the village again, as he would be able to get his Christmas gifts for people.

"What about you?" Anthony asked, getting a few incredulous looks from some of the upper classmen.

"It was productive," Harry told him. "I went and got some more Potions ingredients that I wanted and a new scale, and also got some books, some sweets. I think we all had a good time at the Three Broomsticks." He looked over at Lisa. "Hermione was telling me how much she enjoyed talking to someone so intelligent, rather than just Ron and me," he said with a laugh.

Lisa studied him for a moment, but couldn't seem to make up her mind. She nodded at him, though her face remained impassive. "I thought it was a good discussion. She's a smart witch, that's for sure."

"Why are you talking to him?" a seventh year girl finally demanded, getting up from her seat and storming over to them. Fred whispered in his ear that it was one of the three's girlfriend. "Can't you see what a horrible person he is?" She turned to Harry. "Get back to your own table, you little shite!"

All conversation in the near vicinity stopped, and everyone looked over at them. Harry felt his face flame slightly, but he kept his calm, looking at her as though she had pointed out a problem with his explanation of Shield Charms in the DA. It was a look he knew that he'd taken from Remus. "How am I a horrible person? And I don't think I caught your name."

"Jenny," she spat. "And you are the reason why three members of our House are not going to be able to graduate in a few months. You just had to bring more attention onto yourself and goaded them into fighting. You make me sick!" she screamed, and this time, all conversation in the Hall was silenced, even from the Head table.

Harry stood, and felt the twins stand as well. "I did not goad them, Jenny," he said quietly but firmly. "I don't know where you got your information, but I was there during the attack, I heard the story from the portrait that was in the room, and I heard the confessions under Veritaserum as administered by a member of the DMLE. I am sorry that it had to happen, especially as they were quite close to graduation, but I don't make people's decisions for them. I look out for me and mine, and if someone raises their wand against me in a threatening manner, I will do my best to defend myself."

He looked around and saw that he had an audience of nearly the entire population. "Is there anyone else who would like to say something?" George demanded. When no one spoke up, they sat back down and continued with their dinner.

Jenny stared at them, let loose a howl of anger and stormed from the Hall.

"Mr. Potter," McGonagall called, and Harry looked up. "10 points to Gryffindor for keeping your calm when speaking. And 5 points to Mr. Weasley for backing a friend."

George grinned at Harry, and they dug back in. Harry snuck a glance at Umbridge, who was red faced in her anger, and he quickly turned to his dinner to hid his grin.

After that, most of the students went back to their conversations they were having before, and Harry started a conversation with Stephen Cornfoot about the upcoming Quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, as Stephen was a beater for the team.

During the conversation, Cho walked over, and started talking as well about how they thought they'd do. Harry was surprised to note that he wasn't turning into a stammering mess when Cho spoke to him, but was able to argue his points and have a good conversation. Not to mention, he hadn't really thought about her much that term, but part of that was simply how busy he'd been the past several weeks. He was shocked to realize that his crush was over, which shouldn't have caught him by surprise, as he'd seen her regularly in the DA.

As soon as dinner was over, Anthony stuck his hand out, and Harry shook it, confused.

"I wasn't sure how you would react after what happened last night, and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to still be your friend, depending on your behavior. I'm glad you proved me wrong," he said firmly.

Harry smiled at him, glad that he still hadn't lost all of his support in that House. "I'm glad to hear that. I certainly would have hated to lose your friendship."

Harry and the twins walked back to the Gryffindor table rather quickly, and the twins went over to their friends, and Harry went to Ron and Hermione, who were waiting for him.

"How are you doing?" Hermione asked nervously as they walked back to the Tower.

Harry shrugged. "I've been better, and I really didn't want to have a confrontation in the middle of the Great Hall, but I knew it was coming, and I would rather have gotten it over with, which is why I sat with them."

They both nodded at his logic, though Hermione was wondering yet again how Harry became so logical over the past few months. She smiled, thinking that it had something to do with Sirius's influence during the summer.

Harry and Ron played a few games of chess before calling it a night, and Harry, as was now routine, practiced his Occlumency before he went to bed. He remembered seeing a chapter on the subject in the magical theory book, but he would read it later when he had more time.

* * *

The next morning, Harry woke early, unable to tell what woke him up. He looked around his dorm room, but nothing seemed out of place. He shrugged and got ready. He decided that he would spend some time in the RoR before breakfast.

He walked quickly but silently up to the seventh floor, and paced until the door appeared. He hurried in, and set the time to one third normal time, and took out his wand, as he wanted to use the targets to practice his accuracy.

For the first twenty minutes, he sent stunner after stunner at the targets. He was pleased to find that the targets not only tested accuracy, but power as well. His accuracy was found to be slightly above average, which still held room for improvement, and his power level was well above average.

He decided to take a break from that for a while and went on to practice his wandless abilities. His fight with the seventh years had taught him that it was always helpful to have an unexpected weapon, and that you can't always count on being able to have your wand in hand. As it had been a while since he'd practiced wandless magic, he started small and with the basic Charms, which was easier than basic Transfiguration.

He was again pleased to find that he was still able to do first and second year Charms without his wand. He then pulled out one of the dummies and started the first year Defense spells without a wand.

He found that it was harder than Charms, which was surprising, as Defense was by far his best subject. However, wandless magic for now took a lot more concentration, and it was harder to focus on the magic while thinking he was in a duel.

He was sweating by the time he was done, and felt as though he had ran several miles. Realizing that if he were to keep it up, he wouldn't have the energy to go through his classes, he thought about a shower, and a door appeared for that use.

Twenty minutes later, Harry came out and took a look at the clocks on the wall. One had the time that he was using, and one had the castle's time. Finding that he still had nearly two hours of his time before he had to leave for breakfast, he grabbed the large theory book and sat down on a comfy armchair.

The section that he was reading now was about magic being a single entity, that the way people thought of Charms, Transfiguration, Defense, and the Dark Arts made it difficult for people to understand that concept. Magic reacted differently to the use, but it was all still magic.

He learned that in Merlin's time, wandless magic was a very common thing, and he was amazed. However, his great great grandson had a smaller magical core, and found channeling his magic difficult, so he created a wand. Years later, his family became rich by selling the 'magic channelers' or 'wands', and they made a fortune. However, it created generations of witches and wizards with weaker cores, because no one thought to channel their magic through anything other than a wand.

As Harry was reading this, he wondered if he could teach wandless magic to those closest to him. If it truly was a common thing a thousand years ago, it could be recreated now, couldn't it? Even something as a simple Summoning charm could save the life of someone in a battle if their wand was taken from them. He made a mental note to think about who he would approach about it first. The problem was that in order to teach it, he would have a lot of explaining to do about his own abilities and the book that he found, and where he found it. He knew he would have a lot to think about.

Before he went to breakfast, he practiced his Animagus form for about an hour. It was still difficult to do, but he was determined.

Finally exhausted and starving, he left the room and made his way to the Great Hall, and was one of the first there. He resisted the urge to scarf his meal down, and read his book on dueling tactics while he waited for the other's to come down.

Hermione was the first to join him, and they enjoyed a quiet meal and conversation in the Hall filled with sleepy students.

The post owls arrived, and Hermione paid for her copy of the Prophet, and let out a muffled scream.

"What is it?" Harry demanded, looking over her shoulder, and bit back a curse.

**Ministry Seeks Educational Reform**

**Dolores Umbridge Appointed First Ever High Inquisitor**

Harry and Hermione read through the article with growing dread. It was clear that something had happened to make Umbridge demand more power in the school.

"It was the fight," Harry snarled. When Hermione looked at him, he continued. "She was furious that I was let off without so much as a detention. This doesn't say anything about being able to assign all punishments, but it is a stepping stone to even more trouble from the Ministry."

Hermione agreed with him, and looked up at the Head Table, where the teachers were looking grim, but Umbridge looked far too pleased with herself, an air of superiority about her.

Harry pushed away the rest of his meal, and whispered to Ron and Hermione. "Follow me," he said.

The two exchanged confused looks, and Ron grabbed a few pieces of toast to eat on the way, but they followed him out the Entrance Hall and onto the grounds.

"What's sad," he started quietly as he looked out over the lake, "is that I agree, we do need some reform in the school."

Hermione gasped at him, as though he had just blasphemed. "What do you mean? Hogwarts is an amazing school, it's long been considered one of the best in Europe…"

"I know," Harry interrupted. "But look at some of the teachers. We have Snape, who clearly hates any and all children not in his own House, and he's a Head of House for crying out loud! We have a ghost whose lectures could be sold as a cure for insomnia and hasn't taught anything new since before his death. We have a fraud of a Divination teacher, and honestly, I think the entire subject should be gutted, because there's only about two genuine Seers per generation, and I can't tell you how many people have fallen for taking that class, all three of us included. And don't even get me started on the awfulness of the DADA teachers we've had." Harry stopped his rant, but still felt angry. He looked at his friends, who were staring wide eyed at him, and he shrugged. "But what Umbridge is going to do is make this school even worse, I can guarantee it. Who knows how much harm she's going to be able to do this year?"

Hermione nodded. She realized that she agreed with all of his points, and that there was no way of arguing what he said.

"What should we do?" Ron asked.

Harry sighed in frustration. "There's nothing we can do. We just need to watch out and make sure that we don't give her a reason to want more power."

Classes that day passed dreadfully slow for everyone in the castle. News of the High Inquisitor had passed quickly, so that even those who never read the paper now knew everything it had to say on the subject. It was a record breaking day, as Umbridge was in such a good mood that she didn't take points or give detentions to any student, Harry included.

There was an altercation during Potions, though, resulting in another detention for Harry, though this time, he was going to take his case to McGonagall.

They had been set making the blood replenishing potion. Harry was a bit surprised at this, as it was one of the hardest they would make that year, and it wasn't even Christmas yet, but he wasn't worried. He had made this potion quite often during the summer, and knew it by heart. He double checked what he would need, and prepared the ingredients perfectly before he did anything to start the potion.

As this potion took three hours to make, he had plenty of time to look around and see how his classmates were doing. Blaise was doing perfectly, though Harry wasn't at all surprised. The Slytherin clearly had a talent for this subject. Malfoy and Daphne were doing alright, though their potions weren't quite the shade of red it should be at; Hermione was doing wonderfully, her potion looked perfect, and Ron was having a few problems. Harry was about to whisper something to him when he looked over and saw Neville panicking, as his potion was nearly black, instead of the light red it should be at that stage.

He looked for Snape, but the teacher was complimenting Malfoy and didn't notice. Harry hurried over. "What did you just put in?" he demanded quickly. He could tell that there were only a few minutes before the cauldron either melted or exploded.

"I don't know!" Neville cried.

Harry surpressed a sigh, and remembered back to some of Sirius's lessons over the summer about how to counteract mistakes. He sprinted over to the student cabinet and grabbed a bit of each ingredient he thought he might need, and brought them back over.

By now of course, Snape had taken notice of what was going on, as had the rest of the room.

"Potter, what in the hell are you doing?" he screamed. "You should be concentrating on your own potion, not trying to fix whatever blunder Longbottom has done yet again."

Harry had just finished chopping and throwing in the betony he thought would help. "I understand that, sir. However, my potion is at the correct stage, and I noticed Neville was having some problems, so I thought I would save him a melted cauldron and fix the problem before it got out of hand."

Snape was swelling with fury, but he thought of an idea to keep the brat from interfering again. "Very well, Mr. Potter. You now have the rest of the class period to fix this mess of a potion, and Longbottom can have yours. His grade will be your original potion, and yours will be… this," he sneered into the mess of a potion that Harry was working over. He turned and stalked off to look at Dean's potion.

Harry gulped. He wasn't sure if he would be able to fix the potion well enough for Snape, but he would try. He looked at Neville, who was practically in tears. "I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't mean for you to do that for me. You go finish your own potion, I'll handle mine."

Harry shook his head. "Nonsense. I'll take care of this, you go to mine. It just finished the five minute simmering, and all the ingredients are prepared and ready. You just have to put them in correctly and stir when it tells you to."

Neville felt horrible for possibly hurting Harry's grade, but he knew better than to argue, so he made his way over to the other cauldron.

Harry worked feverishly on his new potion. He had an idea of what had happened, and was working hard to counter it. He sagged in relief when, after nearly an hour of work, the potion became the correct color and texture that his own potion was still at. Now shaking slightly from the fear of failing this potion, he looked over at Neville, who seemed to be doing well.

"How's it coming?" he asked.

Neville kept his eyes on the potion. "Doing alright. It's a lot easier when all the ingredients are ready and prepared."

"Take your cauldrons off the flames, they will have time to cool before they are bottled," Snape called with a malicious smirk at Harry.

However, Harry just smiled and took the cauldron off the fired, double checking that it was alright. When it was ready to be bottled, Harry had a sneaking suspicion of what would happen, so he grabbed an extra vial and bottled both of them, putting the extra one in his robes. When he took his vial up to Snape to be graded, Snape gave him a look of loathing.

"I thought I told you that you were to work on Longbottom's potion?" he demanded.

"I did, sir," Harry said as politely as he could. "I managed to fix it."

"You clearly cheated and took someone else's potion and tried to pass it off as your own. That will be a week's worth of detentions for you for cheating, Potter," he spat.

The room gasped at this, having seen him working hard on the faulty potion. Neville's face was filled with guilt for having cost his friend not only a grade, but the detentions as well.

"Professor, I did not cheat," Harry tried to explain, but Snape cut him off.

"You are as arrogant as your father, and as thick as your mutt of a godfather. Get out of my sight, and I expect you in my office tonight at 7 pm sharp," he snarled, and turned to collect the rest of the potions.

Harry worked on keeping his temper, and went to clean up his station.

"Harry, I'm so sorry," Neville tried to say.

"It's not your fault," Harry overrode him. "You said that it was easier when you had the ingredients prepared already, so try doing that next time. Get all the ingredients ready before you start brewing, and it'll be a lot easier."

Harry was barely able to focus during Runes and DADA, but he kept his head down, and his temper in check. As soon as the classes were over, he hurried to see his Head of House. He knocked on the door, and waited.

"Mr. Potter?" she asked, confused.

"May I speak with you for a moment?" Harry asked, gripping the extra vial of blood replenishing potion.

"Of course, come on in," she said, and gestured him into a chair.

Harry explained what happened during their Potions class, and how hard he had worked to fix the potion and had succeeded. He handed her the extra vial of his potion. "Professor Snape declared that I had clearly cheated and gave me a week's worth of detentions for it. He then proceeded to insult my father and my godfather."

McGonagall was furious. She knew that this was likely not the first time this had happened to one of her lions in a Potions class, but was pleased that Harry was willing to come forward.

"Very well, Mr. Potter. I believe that you did not cheat, as I have seen for myself how hard you have been working this term. I will speak with Professor Dumbledore. See me during dinner, and I will let you know what we have decided."

Harry thanked her and left, but he was still shaking in anger. Deciding that he needed an outlet, he made his way once again to the seventh floor. He entered the now familiar room, and pulled out one of the dummies, leaving it on a seventh year student level, but left his wand in his pocket.

His anger helped him to focus, and he found that he was able to handle his own in that duel, finally ending it with a Reducto that tore the dummy to shreds. Bracing his hands on his knees, he panted, as the wandless magic had taken quite a lot out of him. However, he was still filled with righteous anger, so he grabbed another dummy and proceeded to crush it in another duel.

Over two hours of nonstop dueling later, Harry finally calmed down some, which had more to do with his exhaustion than actually working out his anger. He quickly took a shower, then grabbed the theory book and went to the armchair, deciding to read the rest of the time before dinner.

He found it strangely difficult to read right now though, probably because he didn't have his heart in it. He was tired of serving detentions nonstop this term. Though he knew that Snape didn't use that dratted quill, that didn't mean that he would accept the detentions as set. With Umbridge, he knew that he really didn't have much of a choice, as she would go over his head to Fudge and possibly make another Educational Decree, but Snape answered to Dumbledore, not the Minister. After an hour of reading the same few pages and realizing that he wasn't taking in any of it, he decided to work some more on his wolf form.

It was as difficult as it had been, but this time he knew that it had more to do with how much energy he had spent dueling wandlessly. He managed to transform his arms all the way up to his shoulders and his feet as well. He knew that he needed to revise **Being Lupine** to remind himself of the intestines of a wolf before he attempted that, but he changed his arms and feet back and forth multiple times until he could do it almost instantly.

His alarm sounded, telling him that it was time to head to dinner. He grabbed his bag and made his way to the Great Hall, looking immediately for his Head of House. He saw her, Snape and Dumbledore enter the Hall later than usual and beckon him forward.

Harry excused himself from Susan and Justin, whom he'd been talking to, and made his way up to the front of the Hall. "Yes, professors?" he asked.

"Tonight after supper, you will join us in the Potions classroom, and demonstrate what you were able to do earlier," McGonagall told him. "If you are able to come reasonably close to a decent potion, then you will not have to serve the detentions." At this she sent a glare to the Potions master.

"That sounds reasonable," Harry said politely. "Thank you, professors." With that, he made his way back to the Hufflepuff table, and found Ron once again debating chess with Ernie. The sight made him smile slightly; glad that he'd managed to get the two to realize they had so much in common.

Ron looked over at him when he sat back down. "What was that all about?" he asked, concerned.

Harry pushed the food around his plate, not very hungry. "If I can fix another potion tonight like I did in class today, then I don't have to do the detentions."

Ron smiled sadly at him. "Well, that's good at least."

Harry just nodded and continued playing with his food. He just knew that this was going to end badly. Sure, Sirius had taught him how to fix a lot of potions, but he honestly wasn't sure what he'd done to Neville's potion to fix it, he just went with it. After a while, he looked back to Ron. "After this thing with the teachers, I'm going to head to the library, I haven't done my homework for tomorrow yet."

Ron just nodded at him understandingly. He felt bad for his best mate, as things never seemed to go his way.

Harry got up from his place to head to the dungeons, but looked around for Hermione. He chuckled when he saw her with Lisa at the Ravenclaw table. The two had been getting closer with the DA meetings, and Harry was glad. He left the Great Hall and made his way to his Potions classroom. He pulled out his book on dueling to pass the time.

After another twenty minutes, he heard people coming down the hall, so he put the book away, and looked up. He had to bite back a groan when he saw that Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape were accompanied by Umbridge. He should have known that she would hear about this and make a big stink about it.

"Well, Mr. Potter, Professor Snape is going to make a potion that has a few mistakes in it, you will try and fix it to the best of your abilities," McGonagall told him.

Harry nodded, and set up a cauldron. "It was blood replenishing potion," he told them.

Snape just sneered at him, and started brewing. After nearly an hour, the Potions Master looked at him. "There you go, get to work," he ordered.

Harry nodded at him, and snuck a glance at Umbridge, who was practically bouncing in her seat for the chance to give him detention for a week. The scars on his hand tingled a bit, but he forced himself to concentrate on the potion.

He took a few moments to examine the potion: it's color, texture, the steam, and the smell, though he had learned first hand never to inhale directly from a potion. He nodded a few times, muttering under his breath about what could have been put in.

He calmly made his way to the student cupboards and pulled out what he thought he'd need. He was careful in how he ground, minced, and skinned each one, and thought hard about what he needed to do. After an hour, he pulled out a parchment and a quill to write down ideas.

He began to get nervous when the potion remained black and far too thin. Panicking slightly now, he thought hard about Sirius's teachings and what he'd read ahead over the summer.

Running back to the cupboard, he grabbed a few more things and worked fervently. He finally realized why it was so much harder. Snape had thrown in boomslang skin, which was not even in the student cupboards, and made the potion resistant to most of the fixes he was doing. Relieved that he understood the problem now, he was able to counteract it with a bit of time, and hopefully a lot of luck.

Two hours after he'd begun, he took the cauldron off the flame, and turned to the professors. If the potion he'd completed had been for a grade, it would likely have been an Acceptable at best, but it proved the point that he knew his way around a cauldron, and that he knew how to fix mistakes. "It's all finished, just needs time to cool," he said, and saw McGonagall and Dumbledore smile at him. He turned to his Potions teacher. "That was a nice trick, putting the boomslang in there. You almost had me for a while," he said, and smirked inwardly when the man looked angry enough to spit nails.

"Well done, Mr. Potter," McGonagall complimented him. "As we can tell that you did not cheat this afternoon, you will not have to serve the detentions that Severus set."

Harry thanked her, and watched as his two least favorite professors stormed out of the room. "Is there anything else I need to do?" he asked his Head.

McGonagall shook her head. "You are free to leave, Mr. Potter."

Harry nodded at her and Dumbledore and made his way, not to the library, but to the seventh floor. He had decided to do his homework in the Room, so that he could fit in a bit more reading as well.

Sure enough, two hours later, or six for Harry, he managed to drag himself up to the Tower and was instantly asleep.

* * *

**So, this chapter had a lot in it, and I'm fully expecting to feel the burn from the flames coming from my email, so go for it! It's freezing cold here, I could do with the warmth :-)**


	16. Chapter 16

**I promised this would be up by today, and I had to deliver! Life's been kind of crazy, but I'm hoping that things will settle down after a while. By the way, have any of you done P90X before? Holy crap, it's kicking my butt! Well *coughs* off that tangent, and onto the story!**

* * *

Two more weeks passed in the same fashion. Umbridge was inspecting all the teachers, and had already placed Trelawney under suspension, and was sitting in on all her classes, according to Ron. Harry was now grateful that Hagrid wasn't here; he surely would have been put through the same.

There had been a Quidditch game of Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw won, though narrowly, and Harry congratulated the team later that night. The Gryffindor/Slytherin game was the following week, and Angelina was working them hard.

Because of the extra Quidditch practices, he was never so grateful for the time delay feature in the Room. It allowed Harry to finish all of his homework, do some of his own reading, and get training in. He had mastered wandless magic with his first through fourth year Charms, first through third year DADA, and only first and second year transfiguration. For some reason, Harry was struggling with wandless transfiguration in a duel setting. He kept at it, though, having learned how useful transfiguration could be during a duel.

Harry was also working his classes hard. The beginner class had just finished learning the Impediment Jinx, and now Harry was having them revise to ensure they knew all the spells correctly. The advanced class had mastered the Shield charm, Stunning, and Reducto; this made Harry very proud of the class, and he could tell that all of them were working extra during the week.

He got to the Great Hall for breakfast after a training session on Saturday to find Hermione flagging him down with a look of panic.

"Where have you been?" she demanded. "Did you see the notice board this morning?"

Harry shook his head. "No, nothing. Why, what did it say?"

Hermione huffed in anger. "Umbridge made another Educational Decree, saying that all groups, teams, and clubs consisting of three or more students have been disbanded. If you ignore it, you're expelled.

Harry stared at her in horror. Not only did he have two classes that weekend, but there was a Quidditch match coming up. "Can the groups be reinstated?" he demanded.

Hermione nodded, though with a grim look. "Yes, but she has to approve them."

Harry sat down hard, and pushed the food away. His hunger he was feeling only moments ago was gone; his stomach felt like lead. "Well, I'll have to appeal to her to reinstate the DA, and the captains will be in charge of the Quiddtich teams."

Hermione was going to say something, but then they looked up as Umbridge entered the room, an air of superiority around her. Harry caught Angelina's eye down the table, seeing that she was as furious as he was, and they stood together. They stopped by the other three tables and grabbed the captains of the Quidditch teams for each one. They made their way up to the Head Table as one, making sure that there were other teachers who could hear them. Harry moved to the back, deciding that he would appeal last.

"Yes?" Umbridge simpered, making everyone want to slap her.

"We've come to ask for permission to reform the Quidditch teams," Ravenclaw Roger Davies told her, gesturing to the other three.

Umbridge scowled. Clearly, she'd hoped to have them ask individually, and not as a united front. But her hopes were in vain, and she could feel the stares of almost the entire school and the teachers waiting to see if she would show favoritism so blatantly. "Very well, all Quidditch teams are welcome to rejoin."

The captains grinned, and went to tell their players, leaving Harry by himself. "I would like permission to reform the Defense Association," he told her.

Now that not as many people were watching, she smiled sickeningly at him. "I think I will need some time to think about that, Mr. Potter. So your classes for this weekend will have to be cancelled, unless you want to think about expulsion."

Harry scowled and nodded once at her then walked to the Hufflepuff table. The students were so used to seeing him at all the tables that this didn't create a stir like it used to. Harry went up to Susan Bones, and whispered to her. "Could I talk to you for a moment?" he asked, seeing that she was finished with her breakfast.

She turned and looked at him, then nodded, following him out of the Hall. As soon as they were alone, she gave him a sad grin. "I take it she said no to reform the DA?"

Harry nodded. "Yep. I really don't want to ask, but have you spoken with your aunt about her at all?"

Susan stared at him. "Not much, since she has been doing everything legally."

Harry nodded. "But this isn't. To be allowing some groups to reform but not others is showing clear favoritism. So, do you think you could send Madame Bones an owl and tell her about this? I hate to ask you, but I really…"

Susan laid a hand on his shoulder. "I know, don't worry about it. I'll send Auntie an owl right now," she told him, and left.

Harry was grateful to her as he watched her leave. He had laughed when people thought of Hufflepuffs as naïve and gullible, because Susan and Hannah were anything but that.

He quickly made his way back to the Gryffindor table and let them know that classes that weekend were cancelled because of the Decree. He went to the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables and did the same. When he went up to the Slytherin Table, he got a slightly different reaction.

"Potter, what are you doing over here?" Malfoy demanded.

"I'm here to talk to them," he said, and turned to his 'students'. "Umbridge won't reform the DA just yet, so classes are cancelled this weekend," he told them.

Blaise looked disappointed. "I was hoping to learn the Disillusion charm this week."

Harry nodded. He had promised to teach his classes that charm, and though it had a lot of uses besides dueling, he hoped that none of them would use it for anything else. "I know. Just try to get together yourselves and review what we've done so far, and we'll hope that we can have one next week."

"What's the matter, Potter?" Malfoy sneered. "Not connected enough to continue you little classes? Well, maybe you should just forget about them, it's not as though they'll make any difference."

Harry turned slowly to stare at the boy. He hated Draco more than anyone else at the school except for Umbridge herself, and Snape. He could feel the DADA teacher staring a hole into his back, and he decided to have a little fun with this. Holding his hands out to the side so that everyone could see that he wasn't holding his wand, he focused on his magic. "Well, I'd rather be less connected than a pathetic daddy's boy like you," he said coldly, and sent out a shock wave of his magic, turning his hair from the silver blond to a fushia, and his robes turned turquoise.

The Hall erupted into laughter, and Umbridge stood to yell at him, but was tugged down by Minerva. "You saw that Mr. Potter was not holding a wand. Clearly someone else cast the magic at him, but we don't know who. So drop it," she ordered.

Malfoy was furious. He whipped his wand out and raised it. "I'll make you pay for that, Potter," he threatened, but his wand flew out of his hands.

Tracey caught it and threw it to Blaise before putting her own away. Harry knew that Tracey was a friend of Daphne and was in the DA. "It's not nice to attack someone who is unarmed, Malfoy," she said coldly, picking her fork back up."Or didn't that fake Moody teach you dueling manners last year?"

Draco's face tinged pink at the memory of the ferret, and he fled the hall. They were all still laughing when Snape came up to the table, glaring daggers at all of them. "The wand, Mr. Zabini, if you will," he ordered, holding out a hand.

Blaise handed the wand over to their Head, and chuckled a bit as well. When Snape was out of sight, he turned to Harry. "That was pretty good," he admitted.

Harry laughed and agreed. "Thanks for helping," he told Blaise and Tracey. "I wish I knew who cast that charm, that was awesome!"

Everyone agreed, and Harry made his way out of the Hall shortly afterwards. He was still pissed that Umbridge refused to let them meet, and he didn't have a lot of homework for once, so other than the match, there wasn't much to fill his weekend. He was happy that there was a Hogsmeade trip next Saturday, and he could get some of his Christmas shopping done before he went to Sirius's for the hols.

He had just left the Entrance Hall when he heard his name and turned around, seeing Ron and Hermione. "Where are you going?" she asked, slightly out of breath.

Harry thought for a moment. He had been on his way to the Room to train. He didn't want to lie to them, but he wasn't sure he was ready to let them know all of his secrets. However, he remembered his idea of teaching wandless magic to other people, and knew that there were no better people to test it on than his best friends.

"Actually, I have an idea. You two free till lunch?" he asked, and they both nodded. "Follow me, then."

He lead them up to the seventh floor, ignoring their questions until they got to the Room. He paced in front of it, and made sure that the room wasn't his personal one, since he'd left out a couple books and targets that he didn't want them to know about yet.

They walked inside, and Hermione stared around. There was a single bookshelf of books that she would love to read, and a large open space for them to practice.

"What is this place?" Ron asked, looking around.

"This is called the Room of Requirement. Dobby told me about it," Harry said. "There is something that I need to talk to you two about, and I need to know that it will stay between the three of us."

They looked a bit offended that he would imply that they would break his confidence, but they could also tell how serious he was. They both nodded, and Harry looked relieved.

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I don't want anyone else to know just yet. Alright, you remember me telling you about when I was kidnapped by Malfoy over the summer?"

Hermione looked at him. "I could tell that you were keeping something back, but I didn't want to push you too fast."

"I appreciated it. Well, they didn't leave the ropes too loose," he told them, retracting his half truth from months before. Looking around, he grabbed a book and brought it over. "I did this, instead." He quickly pulled his magic forward, and spoke the incantation to levitate it, then banish it, and finally rip it with a Reducto. He hadn't quite gotten the hang of nonverbal spells just yet, though he was working on it. He slowly turned to look at his friends.

Hermione was gaping at him, and Ron was doing an impression of a fish. "How did you do that?" Hermione demanded.

"Sirius and I found out over the summer that I can do wandless magic. So the past few weeks I've been practicing it, trying to get better at it."

"Why are you telling us this now, mate?" Ron asked, confused. He was having trouble processing it all.

Harry shrugged. "I wasn't sure how to tell you before. However, I've done some reading lately, and I think that I might be able to teach you both how to do it as well."

Ron was flabbergasted, and Hermione looked like a kid on Christmas Eve. "You think that we could learn to do that, too?" she asked, practically squealing.

"If you want to learn, I would be more than happy to teach you. It's really tough, and for a while this summer I would get exhausted just levitating a pebble for more than a few seconds."

A bit of Hermione's excitement died down. "So why are you going to teach us, then?"

Harry started pacing, trying to think about how to word his answer. "I want to because the Ravenclaw's attack taught me that it always helps to have an extra weapon that people don't know about. So even if you only master a Summoning charm, it might save your life in battle one day."

His two friends nodded, thinking about it. Ron was the first to speak. "So where do we start?"

Harry was thrilled that they were both willing to learn, and weren't upset with him for not telling them sooner. He thought of a handful of pebbles, and the Room provided them. He put them on a small table in the middle of the room. "Now, take out your wands, and do the spell. But don't focus on the words or the pebble. Try and see how it feels when you cast the spell, see if you can feel your core responding to the magic.

It took them a few tries, but they could both feel it after about half an hour. Hermione was amazed that she never really gave much thought to how the magic feels, she had just accepted it.

Harry then told them to put their wands away and to try it again. Nearly two hours later, Ron had raised his about a foot in the air, and Hermione had gotten hers a few inches. He left them at it to practice doing it until it was as easy as casting with a wand, and pulled out a book he was currently reading. It was the one on advanced potion making. After the display with Snape, he had found how much he understood about potions and the process, and wanted to learn a bit more.

Harry stopped them when it was time for lunch, and was pleased at their progress. They were both able to levitate the pebble and hold it for quite a while. Ron had been nearly ready to move on to another Charm, but Harry stopped him, saying that he didn't want them to burn out too quickly. He promised that they would move on soon, though.

Harry went to sit with the Slytherins during lunch, Ron sat with the twins, and Hermione sat with the Ravenclaws. Harry laughed as he listened to Daphne and Tracey talk about the upcoming Quidditch match the next day, and Harry bantered back and forth with them for a while before drawing Blaise and Theo into a discussion on Potions.

"Does Professor Snape mind if students brew in the dungeons over the weekends?" he asked curiously. He was running low on a few things in his satchel, but hadn't risked making extra during his lessons again.

Blaise thought about it. "To be honest, I don't know. No one ever really did it." He looked at the Gryffindor. "You're wanting to brew today?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "I keep some handy, just to be safe, and I'm running low. There's also a few more complex ones that I want to practice later on."

"I can ask if you want," he offered.

Harry smiled gratefully. "Would you mind? If I asked, he'd say no right away, but he might say yes to you."

Blaise laughed at the truth of the statement and made his way up to the Head Table, and spoke briefly with his Head of House. Snape looked incredulous for a moment and then nodded. Blaise made his way back to his table, and looked at Harry. "Done, he said it's not a problem. You want some company while you brew?"

Harry nodded. "Sure, sounds like fun."

The rest of the meal was peaceful, and Harry stopped by Ron and Hermione before he left, letting them know where he'd be. They looked shocked for a moment, but nodded. He whispered to them that he didn't want them practicing again today, as their cores weren't quite ready for so much magic so quickly, and they agreed to hold off for the next day after the match.

Harry walked with the Slytherin to Gryffindor Tower so that he could grab a few things, and they hurried to the dungeons. They both set up cauldrons, and Harry looked curiously at Blaise.

"What, you think I'm just going to sit here?" he asked with a raised brow.

Harry chuckled and shook his head. Harry grabbed an extra school cauldron, as he liked making two potions at once. He set up to make a pain relieving potion and a burn paste, as he was running low on both. The stupid toad.

Blaise was working on his own mild sleeping potion, and took some time to study the other teen. It was clear that he enjoyed brewing, and was honestly quite good at it. He was confused why Potter chose to make those two potions, but he decided not to ask. It wasn't really his place, and he wasn't explaining his own choice.

They brewed in silence, for the most part, until Blaise let his curiosity get the better of him. "I thought you hated brewing," he commented.

Harry looked up as he took the burn paste off the flame. "I used to. You have to admit, Snape's teaching method leaves a lot to be desired."

Blaise chuckled. While he loved potions, it had more to do with his tutor over the summers. "That's true."

"Well, that's why I used to hate potions. Actually, it was the one class I was looking forward to the most before I came here, but that changed pretty quickly once classes started."

"Yeah, Snape always seemed to have something against you."

"He hated my dad," Harry said, surprised to hear himself giving away somewhat personal information to the teen; but he'd grown to trust him, at least a little. "When I came here, that hatred automatically turned to me. I think there's more to it, but he's not likely to share. Then over the summer I went with my godfather to France, and I did a lot of studying, and a ton of brewing. I actually have a Potions Satchel up in my trunk, and I like to keep it stocked if I can."

Blaise was impressed. It was hard to find a good Potions satchel, and more often than not they were too expensive to buy. "Where did you get a satchel?"

Harry smiled as he put a few more things in the pain potion. "It was a gift from a few professors at Beauxbatons. We stayed there for about a month, and I brewed a lot for them, since the nurse and Potions mistress were both gone for the summer, so they bought it for me."

The Slytherin nodded thoughtfully, and they worked in silence for a while. He pulled his own potion off the flame and waited for it to cool. "You know, I don't think I realized it before."

Harry kept his eyes on the paste he was bottling. "Realized what?"

"Your hand," he commented, and noted that Harry froze ever so slightly. "It wasn't like that on the first week of classes, but it's been wrapped ever since."

Harry forced himself to continue working. "I'm clumsy and keep injuring it," he said in an attempted nonchalance voice.

Blaise scoffed. "Nice try, Potter. You're the best seeker in the school, and I've seen you handle that knife perfectly. You aren't clumsy, but you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Harry nodded at him, and went on to bottle the pain reliever. When he was done, he tucked his vials and bottles into his robes and cleaned his mess as Blaise did the same.

"You know, if you had told me this time last year that I would spend two hours with a Slytherin and neither of us drawing a wand, I would have sent you to St. Mungos."

Blaise laughed. "I know, things have definitely changed this year." They both left the dungeons, and Harry turned to head to the RoR. "Hey, Potter!" Blaise called, and waited for Harry to turn around. "Good luck tomorrow."

Harry grinned at him. "Thanks, though I doubt I'll need it. It's just Slytherin," he joked, and laughed at the mock angry look on Blaise's face.

When he got to the Room, he pulled a few things to practice with. He had read quite a bit about nonverbal spells and knew that they were past OWL level, but he really wanted to master them. One move that Sirius had used during their duels was to put a Silencing Charm on him, keeping him from using a spell. He had lost that match pretty quickly after that. However, if he could learn nonverbal spells, that would not only prevent him from being taken out of a duel, it would also be yet another weapon to use that would be unexpected. Yeah, he had used something similar against Malfoy the other day, but that was, again, more forcing the magic to happen than any real control. He wasn't sure if he would be able to do it regularly. At least, not without practice.

He spent the rest of the time until dinner practicing. Yet again, he had started with the easier Charms. Even with the time delay feature, by the time he went to dinner he had only mastered Levitation, Summoning, and Banishing, and that was with a wand. He had also gotten a major headache. He pulled out one of the pain relievers and downed it before making his way to the Great Hall. He knew that he should be proud of the progress he'd made, but the more he was learning, the more he realized how much there was he didn't know.

He sat with the Gryffindors that night and didn't talk much. He was still thinking about the lesson he'd taught to Ron and Hermione, and his afternoon with Blaise. Things really had changed since last year, he thought. More than anything, though, he wanted Christmas break to hurry up, because for once, the castle did not feel like home to him. He missed his godfather like crazy, and even though they spoke about once a week, it wasn't the same.

He didn't see the concerned looks that a few people were giving him, he was so lost in his thoughts. He made his way back to the common room, and didn't feel much like talking to anyone. He wished that he could have had his lessons, but hopefully he would be able to next week. Not feeling up to the loudness of the common room, he went up to his dorm and spent the evening reading in his bed.

* * *

The next morning, he and Ron made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast and tried to eat. He was looking forward to the match in a few hours, but Ron looked faintly green. Harry tried to get him to eat up a bit, but it was no use. Hermione was shooting concerned looks at them, but they both ignored her.

The team left together and made their way to the pitch. Harry didn't hear a word of Angelina's pre-game speech, and before he knew it, they were in the air.

"As we all know," Lee started, "the Gryffindor and Slytherin game is always the most attended. I see more people here than any other games. Likely because of the infamous rivalry that these Houses have always had, regardless of the new club known as the DA."

Harry was flying around, looking for the tiny golden ball, and also kept an eye on Ron. Their newest Keeper was doing quite well, only letting in a few of the goals. His confidence seemed to be doing alright, but Harry had a feeling that it wouldn't be that way throughout the game.

"How you feeling, Scarhead?" Malfoy mocked from behind him.

"Better than you, since we're up by twenty," Harry shot back, then turned and continued his search. He hadn't lost a match to Slytherin yet, and he was going to keep it that way.

He looked over in time to see a spectacular play by the Gryffindor Chasers that resulted in another goal, and he shouted a congratulations to them.

"What a wonderful play by Chasers Johnson and Spinnet," Lee was commentating. "Clearly there was no hope for Keeper Warrington, those girls are amazing."

Harry blocked out the commentary and wove around the pitch, searching frantically for the Snitch. He found it lingering near the Slytherin goalposts and shot out in that direction. He was nearly there when his breath was knocked from him, his chest clenching in pain, and he and his Firebolt started falling slightly before he was able to right himself. He heard a roar of indignation from the crowd, and looked around to see what happened. It seemed that one of the Chasers from Slytherin had tried to stop him and had kicked him in mid air.

Madame Hooch was furious and awarded Gryffindor a penalty shot, but the Snitch vanished again. Harry raised his hand, and thought about the spell for bruising and spoke it, trying it wandlessly for the first time, and it worked! Once he felt a bit better, he continued his search.

"That was a disgusting foul on Seeker Harry Potter," Lee was venting. "Katie Bell puts the penalty shot away no problem, and Gryffindor is up 90-50."

Harry grinned at hearing the shot made it, but saw the smug look on Malfoy's face, and continued looking.

Far too soon, the score was 120-100 with Gryffindor still in the lead, but they were losing ground quickly. Once again, Harry caught sight of the Snitch, and looked around for Malfoy as he sped towards it. The other Seeker was laughing as Ron missed a goal, tying the game, and wasn't even looking for the Snitch, sitting still on his broom.

Harry grinned and went into a dive, and caught it easily. Harry raised his fist in celebration, loving the sound of the crowd cheering and saw his teammates flying towards him. Just as he was about to be tackled in mid air, his head exploded in pain and he saw no more.

* * *

Harry opened his eyes, and groaned when he realized he was in the hospital wing, yet again. He saw his teammates murmuring above him, and he cleared his throat.

"What happened?" he asked, and everyone's eyes snapped to him.

"Harry, are you alright?" Angelina demanded, her face white.

He sat up a bit. "Course I am. What happened?" he repeated.

"Crabbe hit a bludger at you when he realized you caught the Snitch," Fred said, furious.

"Thankfully we were close enough to catch you before you hit the ground," George told him, just as upset.

"We won, though, right?" he double checked, his memory a bit hazy.

"Of course we did," Ron said gruffly, his face still tight with the fear he'd felt. "Malfoy was too busy laughing at me and not worrying about the Snitch at all."

"What happened to Crabbe?"

"Not sure," Katie said. "McGonagall was still yelling at him, and I think Snape had gone to get Dumbledore when we were carrying you here."

Harry just nodded. "How long do I have to stay for?"

"That is for me to decide, Mr. Potter," Poppy said, coming over. She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Am I going to have to put a plaque on one of these beds to reserve it for you?" she demanded.

Harry grinned and shrugged. "I don't know, the year isn't even half over yet," he said cheekily.

Poppy threw her hands up in exasperation, and shot the team a look. "You keep him quiet enough, and you can stay," she relented. Harry had spoken with her about allowing visitors, because it kept the injured person's mind off the pain, and she realized he was right, and had amended the visitor rule. "You had pretty serious concussion, Mr. Potter. You'll be staying here until dinner at the absolute earliest."

Harry just nodded, knowing that he was getting off easy. She could have easily said that he had to stay the night. He leaned back against the pillows and turned to the Chasers. "Those were some awesome plays you girls made," he told them, and the team was off, dissecting every aspect of the game, and each person's role in it.

Sure enough, Harry ate his dinner in the Hospital Wing with Ron and Hermione. Ron had been upset about his performance, but Harry had cheered him up, telling him that he'd made some truly spectacular saves, and had distracted Malfoy from the Snitch. It eventually worked, and the three were chatting animatedly.

Poppy eventually released him with stern instructions not to overdo it. The trio left the Hospital Wing, and were about to head to the Tower when they were stopped by Professors Snape and McGonagall.

"Mr. Potter, you look much better," Minerva told him, relieved. "We were just coming to see you."

Harry nodded, using his Occlumency shields to keep his confusion at Snape being there from showing on his face. "Madame Pomfrey just released me," he told them.

"I just wanted to let you know that Mr. Crabbe has been put in two weeks worth of detentions for that stunt," Snape told him, and scowled at Harry's muted look of surprise, as he hadn't hidden it well enough. "I may allow students more leeway than other professors allow, but I do not condone behavior such as that from my House. Pucey has also received a detention for his kick during the game. I hope your recovery is smooth," he said, the words sounding forced. He turned on his heel and marched away.

McGonagall smiled at the trio's looks of astonishment. "Like he said, Severus does not allow that kind of behavior from his snakes, just as I would not accept it from my lions. You rest up, and I will see you three tomorrow."

The three fifth years nodded at her, and made their way to the common room. They had just walked in, and found a party in full swing. Harry was grabbed by the twins and forced onto their shoulders. "Let's hear it for Harry!" Ron shouted, and everyone cheered. Hermione grinned good naturedly at them and handed Harry a butterbeer while Katie filled a plate for him.

Once he was back on the ground, Harry pretended to scowl at them. "You know, I hit my head, I didn't break my legs!"

The team laughed, and Angelina joked that she needed to keep her Seeker in top form, and that meant he got to relax more than the others. For the first time in over a week, Harry was able to force himself to relax a bit. He was still stressed and upset, but he was able to enjoy the party and the attention of his friends.

After a while, the crowd around him thinned, and Ginny came over. "You feeling alright?" she asked, looking a bit nervous.

"Of course I am," he retorted with a grin, and patted the seat next to him on the couch. "You enjoy watching the game?"

"Definitely!" she enthused. "I want to try out next year, but I don't know if I'll make it."

"Of course you will," Harry encouraged. "What position did you want to try out for?"

"Seeker," she said promptly, then burst into giggles at the look on his face. "Just kidding. Chaser, actually, since Alicia and Angelina will both graduate. I might try to be a reserve seeker, since the current one can't go a single game without getting sent to the Hospital Wing…"

"Oi!" Harry protested with a laugh. "Not every game!"

"Fine, all but two," she said, and laughed again at his mock indignation. "I'm just saying, the team could use a back up Seeker just to be safe, but I would prefer to be a Chaser."

"Well, if you ever need any help, just ask," Harry told her honestly.

Ginny smiled at him and changed the conversation to other topics.

* * *

The next day, though, Harry barely grinned once. While the majority of the castle was firmly on his side, having seen the game (Gryffindor/Slytherin games were the most attended game each year, if nothing else than because of how brutal they were. At least one student was sent to the Hospital Wing each one), there were quite a few who were beyond furious at him. He had received a zero in Potions, since Goyle had thrown an extra ingredient in his cauldron right as he was about to bottle it, and Snape refused to listen to him when he tried to explain. Umbridge gave him two days worth of detentions for tripping her and causing her to lose most of her papers, and also refused to listen to him when he said that Zacharias Smith from Hufflepuff had cast a tripping jinx. Because of his half hearted attempt at an explanation, she gave him an additional two detentions for lying.

By the time his classes were finished, Harry was fuming. As it was nearly Christmas break, the fifth years were getting even more homework assigned, and Harry was already struggling to keep up. The detentions were going to mean that he was going to have to forego sleep at least one night, not to mention a handful of meals. He wondered, not for the first time, how Sirius would react if he pleaded to be homeschooled for the next term.

Susan had come up to him, saying that she had sent the owl to her aunt, and was still waiting for a reply. Harry fervently hoped that Madame Bones would be able to do something, because he really wanted to have the DA meetings that weekend. Part of him really wanted to just have it anyways, but he could just see Sirius's reaction if he were to get expelled. Harry truly didn't want to have to go back to the Dursley's next year, which would likely happen if Sirius was mad enough, and he didn't want to test it out. Also, he didn't want to risk everyone else's expulsion should they get caught.

The nightly detentions also meant that he didn't get much training done as he would like. The time delay feature was now a godsend, as it allowed him time to get quite a bit of his homework done before he had to head to his torture sessions…er, detentions.

Wednesday, at least, brought with it a pleasant surprise, and gave Harry something to look forward to for the weekend. He'd been sitting with the Ravenclaws for dinner when Hedwig flew in with a letter from Remus, whom he hadn't heard from for a while. Harry pardoned himself from Anthony, whom he'd been having a conversation with about Runes, and opened it quickly.

_Harry,_

_I'm glad to hear that the DA is going well. I must say, I believe that your parents would be quite proud of you for stepping up and teaching everyone like you have been. As they aren't here, I know that Sirius and I are proud of you._

_I'm back in the area for a little while, and rumor has it that this weekend is a Hogsmede weekend for you. Any chance you would like to meet up at the Three Broomsticks for lunch? It would be nice to see you for a while._

_Send this back either way, I always like hearing from you. Keep up with your studies, especially with OWLs around the corner._

_Remus_

Harry hurriedly wrote back, saying that he would love to see him and that he would be there at noon. He told Hermione, who was sitting with him, and she beamed. She knew how hard the term had been for her friend, and how much the visit would mean to him.

Friday finally came, and Susan told him at lunch that her aunt was looking into the new decree and would do what she could to allow the DA to meet again. Harry was so happy he nearly kissed her, but kept control of himself. He knew that he was at the end of his rope, and he needed a break, soon. The DA meetings would give him at least a little satisfaction that he was doing something worthwhile.

As he didn't have a detention that night, he made his way to the RoR and set the time delay. Part of him had thought about bringing Ron and Hermione with him to see how they were doing with the wandless magic, but there was something he wanted to try, and he had to be alone for it.

Once he was in the Room, he thought about a slightly more advanced healing book, and one appeared in front of him. He hurriedly flipped through it, and found the spell he was looking for: a glamour. He knew that Remus would be curious about his bandaged hand, and Harry wanted to avoid questions for as long as he could. As it was, nearly everyone had commented on the fact that it was always wrapped, and it was getting harder to think up excuses. He knew that Ron and Hermione, plus maybe the twins, had stopped buying the excuses several weeks before. However, they knew better than to push him for answers, hoping that he would come to them in his own time.

It took nearly three hours to perfect the spell. It was, after all, a seventh year spell, and one of the last ones learned before NEWTs. He eventually mastered it, and he watched in relief as the bloody letters disappeared from his hand, making it look as normal as it had been on the train.

Though he could tell that the glamour was a drain on his magic, he spent the next few hours training. He hadn't had the time in over a week to do so, as he'd been bogged down enough that all his free time was spent keeping up with his homework.

He fought three dummies at Hogwarts graduate level without a wand, and won. Feeling encouraged, he then tested his accuracy with the targets. Finally, he sat down and went over his Occlumency shields. When he was done with that, he practiced his Animagus form.

Over the past several weeks, he had managed to transform every part of his body into the wolf, but had never managed the full transformation again. Part of this was because he was nervous about being stuck in it. Though that memory was mostly darkened by the overwhelming amount of pain he'd been in, he still cringed as he remembered the complete helplessness when he had realized that he didn't have enough power to transform back to human. The other reason for it was because he knew that the loneliness he had been feeling would be magnified, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to put himself through that.

Tonight, however, he decided to try it. First, though, he took the glamour off his hand and wrapped it again. Then he sat on a cushion and sank deep into his magic, pulling it over him like a blanket and keeping in mind everything he'd learned about his wolf. A half hour later, he looked up, and was thrilled to note that he had managed the full transformation!

True, the loneliness felt awful, but he kept it at bay, choosing to feel a semblance of pride in himself for his accomplishment. He trotted around the room a few times to get used to moving in his new form, then turned back. It took some time, but he managed it. Deciding it was enough for one night, he recast the glamour on his hand, and made his way back to the common room.

The Gryffindors were subdued that night, as it had been a long week for everyone, and students were working through their piles of homework. He bowed out of chess with Ron, saying that he had a headache and wanted to turn in early. His friend nodded in understanding, and Harry made his way upstairs, passing out as soon as he was under the covers.

* * *

When Harry woke, he smiled, the action feeling somewhat strange. He knew that he still had a ton of work to do, but the idea of seeing Remus in a few hours helped immensely. He got up and dressed quickly, recasting the glamour, making a mental note to double check it before he ran into Lupin.

No one else was up yet, so he made his way to breakfast, sitting again with the Slytherins. It was the first time since the match, but none of the team was up yet, to his relief.

"Hey, Zabini, Nott," he greeted the two, sitting down.

"Morning, Potter," Blaise said. "You're looking better," he commented, seeing the bandage free hand.

"Hogsmeade visit today," he said simply.

Nott laughed. "That's all it takes to make you happy?"

Harry shrugged. "I spent some time with Professor Lupin over the summer, he's good friends with my godfather, and he's meeting me for lunch today."

The two nodded in understanding. Nott was the first one to speak. "No DA again tonight?" he asked quietly.

Harry shook his head. "No, I haven't gotten permission yet to reform it." He looked at the two Slytherins, who appeared disappointed. "Would you like to brew with me before dinner again? There's a new potion that I would like to try."

Blaise nodded quickly and with a grin. "You got it, Potter. We'll meet you back here when we get back from the village."

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, and they were eventually joined by the Greengrass sisters and Tracey. As soon as Harry was finished, he bade them farewell and walked over to the Gryffindor table where his friends were waiting. Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the twins accompanied him to the village, where they spent a few hours shopping for Christmas gifts, helping each other when they wanted to buy a gift for someone in the group.

Harry bought quite a bit, his mood lightening the longer they were away from the castle. His money bag was noticeably lighter, and his bags were getting heavier, but he didn't care, it would be worth it, as he had quite a few more people to buy gifts for this year, most of them from other houses.

Finally, it was lunch time, and Hermione teased him as he practically flew to the Three Broomsticks, finding Remus already there and drinking a butterbeer. The werewolf smiled as he saw his honorary godson before he was nearly tackled in a hug. This surprised him because he knew that Harry was a very reserved person, saving most of his affections for Sirius and his closest friends. His surprise turned to concern when he felt how much thinner the teen was in just a few months, and could feel him shaking.

"It's good to see you, Moony," Harry whispered into the man's shoulder.

Remus squeezed him tighter at that, getting the feeling that Harry needed the comfort. "It's great to see you too, Har." He pulled back slightly, and saw that there were bags under the teen's eyes, and lines of stress on his forehead. "Have a seat," he said, gesturing to an empty chair.

The twins and Ginny made themselves scarce while Ron and Hermione sat close to the two, but not at the same table.

"So, how's the term going?" Remus asked after they had ordered lunch.

Harry shrugged, taking a sip from his butterbeer, the hot liquid searing his throat somewhat. "You know, it's been stressful. OWLs are coming up, and with the newest Educational Decree, we haven't had DA meetings."

Remus frowned. "What decree was that?" he asked.

So Harry told him about the new rule that all teams were disbanded, and how it was only because the Quidditch teams united for a brief moment that all of them were able to reform, but Umbridge had said she needed time to think about the DA.

"That seems pretty strange," he said.

"I know," Harry agreed. "That's why I asked Susan to talk to her aunt, who's the head of the DMLE."

Remus nodded in approval. "Have you heard back yet?"

He shook his head. "Susan said that Madame Bones was looking into it, and would do what she can, but I haven't heard anything past that."

Remus nodded, brow still furrowed. He chose to move onto lighter topics, and asked about Quidditch, but quickly found that it wasn't much of a better conversation when Harry scowled. "What happened at the last match?" he asked, worried.

Harry mentally berated himself. He didn't want Lupin to be worried about him, so he tried shrugging, and saw the pointed looks from his best friends, who were clearly listening slightly. He stuttered slightly, and went to shrug again, when he accidentally knocked over his drink onto his hands.

This wouldn't have been a problem, but the hot liquid quickly reddened his left hand, and while the glamour on his right one kept any redness or blistering from view, it didn't stop the pain as the drink sloshed onto his open wounds. He cried out, grabbing his apparently uninjured hand and stifled a groan.

Remus hurried to conjure a cool glass of water and a flannel, and reached for Harry's right hand, which he was cradling against his chest. "Let me see, Harry," he said, pulling it closer, wondering why Harry was putting up such a fight. He was confused when he finally got a look at it, and it appeared perfectly fine. Seeing that something was amiss, he looked at the teen's face, and his concern grew immensely, as Harry looked terrified of something. Keeping a tight grasp on the hand, he pulled out his wand. "Finite Glamourous!" he said clearly, pointing at the hand, and nearly dropped his wand when the hand then became red and inflamed. However, what caught his attention most were the red letters carved into his skin, clearly very deep, spelling the words 'I must not tell lies'. There were also scars of burns on the side of his hand.

He was pulled from his thoughts when Harry wrenched his arm away.

"Harry, what was that?" he demanded, voice nearly a whisper as he tried to keep the wolf at bay. Moony was very protective of his cub, and it was clear that Harry did not do that to himself.

"It's no-nothing, Remus," Harry stammered, pulling his sleeve down to cover his hand, but the damage was done.

"Bullshit! That's not nothing!" he shouted, inadvertently getting the attention of everyone in the near vicinity.

"It's nothing!" Harry growled, and the urge to flee overcame everything, and he ran out of the pub. As soon as he was alone, he transformed into his wolf form and took off for the one place he could be alone.

* * *

***runs away from the rotten tomatoes while laughing maniacally* ****I'm a bitch for ending it here, I'm aware :-)  
**

**At least we finally got there, to the place many of you have been waiting for since the detention scene.  
**


	17. Chapter 17

**This is shorter chapter than most, but I wanted to get it out quickly, since I gave you such an evil cliffie the other day :-)**

**For those that are upset that I had Remus discover the detentions, that does get addressed in this. Also, a certain favorite character comes back. Uh oh!  
**

* * *

Remus took a few breaths to calm himself, and when he was in control again, he realized that Harry had taken off. He turned to the teen's friends while trying to control his temper, not wanting to scare them. "What the hell was that on his hand?" he demanded.

Hermione was shaking her head. "I have no idea," she said honestly, starting to freak out. "He's kept his hand bandaged since our first week back, and he always has an excuse, that he spilt wax, that Hedwig bit him, or he slipped with a quill sharpener…." She trailed off.

"But," Remus prodded.

Hermione looked at Ron, pleadingly. Ron realized where her thoughts were going, as his were there, too. "What did it say?" he asked quietly. He had managed to see bloody letters, but couldn't make out what they were, as Harry had covered it too quickly.

"I must not tell lies," he hissed.

Ron blanched. "That's the line that Umbridge has him right in detentions. And she's had him in detention at least once a week, but more like three or four nights a week."

Remus gripped the chair as hard as he could until it broke. It was one thing for the woman to help write legislation that kept him from finding a decent job, but for her to harm a fifteen year old was going beyond the pale. He needed to get this dealt with now. He turned to the teens.

"Do you know where he might have gone?" he asked.

Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance. "There's a few places we could check," he said uncertainly. He thought of the Room, the dorm room, the owlery… Basically anywhere that the darker haired teen could be alone.

Remus nodded. "See if you can find him and calm him down. I'll be in the Headmaster's office. If you find him, then one of you meet me up there," he ordered, and they both nodded.

Remus left the pub in a towering rage. Though he didn't know it, his eyes were now the amber of his wolf form and his hands were shaking uncontrollably. He eventually made it to the gargoyle. "Licorice wands," he spat, and ran up the steps, and pounded on the door.

"Come in," came the serene voice of the headmaster.

Remus threw the door open and strode across the room to the fireplace. "Albus, call the Aurors," he ordered.

Dumbledore stood, able to tell that something was seriously wrong. "Remus, what on earth is going on?"

But Remus ignored him and grabbed the Floo Powder.

"Who are you contacting?" Dumbledore asked, seriously confused and worried by the behavior the man was displaying.

"Call the damn Aurors, Albus. Ours, though, not just the Ministry's," he snarled. "I'm getting Sirius."

At this, Dumbledore hurried over to him. "Remus, Sirius needs to stay where he – "

"Stuff it," Remus snapped, and Dumbledore moved back as though slapped. "I'm getting the guardian of one of your students who needs to be here, Order be damned!" he shouted, then threw a handful of powder into the fireplace.

"Sirius Black!" he shouted as he stuck his head in, and as soon as he stopped spinning, he saw his oldest living friend packing his belongings into a trunk, and dressed in his travel wear.

"Remus?" Sirius asked, confused. "I thought you were with Harry today."

"Come through. Now. Dumbledore's office."

Sirius was smart enough to see that something was beyond wrong. It took quite a lot for Remus to resort to one or two word sentences. That much, at least, he knew from experience.

"I'm on my way," he said, clothes dropping from his hands.

Remus pulled his head from the fire to find Albus was still there, and Minerva and Snape hurried in, closing the door behind them.

"Kingsley and Tonks are on their way," he said, holding up the pendent he used to communicate with members of the Order if they couldn't use a Floo.

"Remus, what is going on?" Minerva asked, concerned.

"I will explain once Sirius and the Aurors are here," Remus said, breathing deeply again.

Snape rolled his eyes. Clearly it was something to do with Potter. He sat down leisurely, earning a glare from McGonagall.

Before anyone else could speak, the Floo flared green and Sirius stepped through. He looked worriedly at Remus. "What's happened?" he asked.

Remus shook his head. "Kingsley and Tonks will be here in a moment, I will explain then."

Sirius's face hardened. For Remus to call the Aurors _and_ bring him from Spain, meant that things were even worse than he thought. "Alright, different question. Where is Harry?"

Remus closed his eyes. "I don't know. Ron and Hermione are trying to find him."

"What has the brat done now?" Snape asked cynically, flicking dust off his robes.

Albus and Sirius were about to say something, but Remus beat them to it. "Shut your mouth until you know, Severus!" he roared, scaring the rest of the adults in the room.

Snape sat up straighter and nodded, but kept his trademark scowl. Even he was not stupid enough to take on an enraged werewolf, never mind the fact that he wasn't transformed.

After a tense five minutes, during which barely a muscle was twitched, the Floo flared once again, and the tall, black Auror stepped through first, followed quickly by Tonks, who stumbled through, hair going red in her embarrassment.

"Alright, Albus, what is going on?" Kingsley asked in his calming way. He truly hoped that it was nothing to do with Harry again, as that had been the reason for his last visit to Hogwarts.

Albus turned to Remus, gesturing for him to begin.

Remus took a breath. "I am here to press charges on Dolores Umbridge for harming Harry Potter."

The affect of those simple words was instantaneous. Sirius bellowed for an explanation, Albus sat hard in his chair, the Aurors gaped, Minerva grabbed her heart, and Snape stood.

"Explain," Kingsley said, voice hard.

"I was having lunch with Harry when he knocked his hot drink onto his hands. One became red and blistered, but the other appeared fine. However, it was that one that he was cradling in pain. It was not even the slightest bit red. Acting on instinct, I cast a finite glamourous, and what I found was horrible." He paused, glancing once at Snape, then at Albus, and finally at Sirius. "He had scarring from what appeared to be burns all along the side of his hand, and the words 'I must not tell lies' were carved into his hand so deep, it was nearly to the bone. That is the line he's been forced to write during his detentions with Umbridge, and it is clear that a Blood Quill has been used."

This time, Snape was the one gaping, Minerva looked ready to faint, Tonks was quickly writing everything down while Kingsley grasped his wand, and Dumbledore looked so furious that the room seemed to shrink. Before anyone else could move, however, Sirius strode hard towards the door.

"Sirius, where are you going?" Minerva asked.

"To find my godson!" he shouted, slamming the door behind him. As soon as he was out, he transformed into his dog form and took off, sniffing around for the familiar scent. As he ran, he thought back to the conversation he'd had with Remus the day after Halloween.

"_I'm really worried about him, Remus," Sirius confessed. "We used to talk at least twice a week, but now I'm lucky if it's two or three times in a month! He won't talk about hardly anything, and it looks like he's lost a ton of weight."_

_Remus played with his drink, lost in thought. "Now that you mention it, he's seemed off in our letters, and they've also decreased in numbers." He looked at his friend. "What would you like me to do?"_

"_Next Hogsmeade weekend, would you go see him?" Sirius pleaded, hating his tone. "I wish I could go myself, but the Headmaster here is close to making a decision, and it would be bad for me to leave right now, especially if nothing is actually wrong other than typical school stress." He knew that wasn't the case, but he had nothing other than his gut feeling to base that conclusion on. "I know Harry would love to see you, too. You saw how excited he was last night. Just, let me know that I'm overreacting and being a mother hen for no reason."_

_Remus nodded. "I'll send him an owl as soon as I find out the next weekend."_

Now he was infinitely glad that he had asked his friend to visit. He was glad that he wasn't worked up over nothing, but was truly worried about his godson. He sprinted until he was out of the castle, and thought hard. Harry would want to be alone, and at a place no one would think to look for him, or find him accidentally, including his friends. The answer came to him instantly, and he made his way to the Shrieking Shack.

* * *

As soon as he was close enough, he transformed back and drew his wand, banishing a stick to hit the knot, which froze the branches. He silently made his way down the tunnel, listening for anything that might indicate what he would find.

Sure enough, he heard banging and crashing, just like the myths that surrounded the Shack in the first place. He cautiously came up from the trap door, and walked across the room until he was in the doorway of the room where the truth had come out a year and a half prior.

His heart lodged in his throat as he saw Harry in a rage that put Remus' to shame. Without a wand and without a word, the teen was banishing everything around the room to crash into the wall. It was as though he was in the eye of a tornado, untouched by the carnage around him.

Looking at him, Sirius felt shame for not having acted sooner. His godson was exhausted, and thinner than ever before. His hand was wrapped in a scarf, hiding the wound from view.

"Harry," Sirius said softly, feeling his fury leave him as he took in the sight.

Harry spun around at the familiar voice, and his concentration broke. He had spent so much magic, that he struggled to remain upright. "Sirius!" he said hoarsely. "What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Spain!"

Sirius strode forward and enveloped him into a hug. "There's no way I'm going to be out of the country when my godson needs me. You hear me? Never going to happen," he murmured, holding him tightly.

Harry wanted to fight him, yell at him, tell him that he shouldn't be here, but he couldn't. All the pain, anger, and loneliness from the past several weeks caught up with him as he was held, and he found, to his utter shame, that he was sobbing into the man's shoulder.

"I'm here, Harry. I'm not going anywhere," Sirius promised. He felt his eyes burning with emotion, but he held back. This was Harry's time, not his own. He would freak out later. Pulling back slightly, he read all the emotions that Harry was trying to keep back.

"Oh, kiddo," Sirius whispered. "You're a wreck." He drew his wand and conjured a couch, and then pulled him down onto it. "Talk to me," he begged. "What's going on?"

Harry bit his lip, not wanting to do it, but when he looked into the concerned eyes of his godfather, his will broke. He spoke of the detentions with Umbridge and how much the Quill hurt, how he refused to let her keep anything with his blood, so she would burn it with his hands still on the parchment. He spoke about how she twisted rules and situations around in order to blame him, and how some students were now helping her, like Smith.

He then found that he couldn't stop talking now that he had started, so he spoke about Snape and how horrible the man had been, and how it had only gotten worse after he'd protested the detentions. He told about the attack of the three seventh years and how he'd spent Halloween night in the Hospital Wing because of a broken shoulder, and more time in there after the Quidditch match the weekend before. He spoke of the loneliness he felt and how much he missed him and Remus. He spoke about the hours of time going without sleep or food trying to keep up with his homework, but still struggling not to fall behind. He mentioned that the DA meetings had been the only thing keeping him going, but now those were cancelled until further notice; how he'd wanted to keep them going, but if he was expelled, he was terrified that Sirius would send him back to his relatives. He confessed that he stopped talking as much on their mirrors because of how hard it was to keep this from him, and how he knew he needed to put the needs of the Order before his own, and that he was sure that if Sirius knew about everything, that he would come running. Eventually, he talked himself hoarse, and he felt completely drained, having poured his heart out for the first time.

Up until that point, Sirius had kept silent. He had known that if he interrupted his godson's ramblings, he might not tell him everything, so he'd kept his mouth shut. As it was, he was struggling with his own conflicting emotions. He'd learned so much in the past hour that his head was spinning. He felt a pure hatred towards Umbridge and Snape, since they were two professors who enjoyed harming the best thing that ever happened to him. He felt fury towards Albus and Minerva for never informing him of anything, and anger towards the students that had sent him to the Hospital Wing, not once but twice. He felt a small amount of anger towards Harry for not telling him any of this sooner, but that anger soon faded. He knew that they needed to have a long conversation, but that could wait until the morning. There was sadness filling him, now, though, as he looked at his godson.

"Thank you for telling me all of that, I know it can't have been easy," Sirius said quietly. Harry just nodded against his shoulder, having slumped down during his long monologue. "We'll talk about this, but I want to get your hand checked out, and you need to rest." When it looked like Harry was going to protest, Sirius stopped him. "You're drained, pup. We'll go to the Hospital Wing and get you some dreamless sleep. I'll spend the night here, and we'll talk when you wake up."

Harry just nodded. In truth, he didn't have the energy to argue with the man. He had a lot of questions, but that could wait until later. He tried to stand, but fumbled slightly until Sirius steadied him.

"Lean on me, I've got you," Sirius whispered, holding him close. They slowly made their way up to the Hospital Wing, Sirius glaring daggers at anyone who stared at them until they scampered away. They finally made it, and Poppy was sitting at her desk.

Sirius helped him onto a bed, and the nurse hurried over. "Mr. Potter, can a week go by without you being in here?" she demanded, but quailed slightly under the furious look Sirius gave her. "What is it?" she asked, much quieter this time.

Sirius pulled up a chair and unwrapped the scarf. Poppy gasped as she looked at it. "I didn't think it was this bad," she whispered to herself, realizing how remiss she had been by not insisting on examining it the many times that he had been in to see her.

Harry turned his head away in shame, and Sirius nodded. "He's been forced to use a Blood Quill on a regular basis. Is there anything you can do for him?" he asked.

Poppy paled. "A Blood Quill? On a minor?" she asked faintly. She shook herself out of it. "The Quill is not made for prolonged usage. I can clean it and try a few scar removing salves, but it will most likely have to heal on its own."

Harry grimaced, but forced a grin. "What's another scar, right?" he quipped weakly.

Sirius looked at him sternly, letting him know without words that it wasn't a laughing matter, and that they would be talking later. Then he turned back to the nurse. "Can you give him Dreamless Sleep?" he asked softly, and the nurse searched his face for a moment, then nodded, and hurried to get one.

"Here you go, Harry," she said, using his first name for once. "This is a slightly larger dose than usual; it should keep you asleep until tomorrow morning." The dosage was _very _strong, and she normally would never give it to a student. This situation, however, was far from normal, and she would just have to make sure that he didn't have a sleeping potion for at least a month until all of this one was out of his system.

Harry just nodded and drank it down in one, falling asleep immediately. The nurse grabbed Sirius by the arm and dragged him away from the sleeping teen.

"Who the hell is using Blood Quills in this school?" she seethed, sounding so much like her sister that Sirius was shocked.

"Umbridge." He spat the name as though it were a curse word. "He's had countless detentions with her, which is why the symptoms are so bad. I need to speak with Albus and the Aurors. I'll be back in a few hours. Keep an eye on him, will you?"

She just nodded, and Sirius strode towards the headmaster's office, robes billowing behind him in a way that would have made Snape jealous. He gave the password and quickly made his way up the steps, arriving to a scene that made him smirk in unholy glee.

"The boy is lying, I tell you!" Umbridge screeched. "He just wants the attention; he should be expelled for telling such lies against the Senior Undersecretary!"

"Yes, we got that part," Kingsley told her with an uncharacteristic eye roll, as she had been saying the same thing to every question he had asked her. He looked over as Tonks hurried in behind Sirius.

"Found these in her desk drawer, Auror Shacklebolt," she said, handing four Blood Quills to the man.

Kingsley accepted them with a grimace. He could feel the magic radiating off of them, as he was attuned to such subtle traces of magic in his line of work. "Madame, you understand that having these here is against the law? That it states specifically that the only places that these can be used are the Ministry and Gringotts? The only exception being if someone needs to sign a specific document with one, and then it is to be destroyed immediately afterwards?" He gave a fake sigh, and reached into his pocket, taking out the magic-binding rope that was used in serious arrests. Truthfully, he didn't need it, but it was further humiliation for the undersecretary if she arrived at the Ministry bound with them, and the thought made him smirk inwardly.

Umbridge took a single look at the rope, and screeched. "You do not have the authority to arrest me; I have done nothing wrong! I will have your job for this treatment, Shacklebolt!"

"Madame Umbridge, you are under arrest for the misuse of a legal magical artifact with intent to cause harm, for intentionally harming a minor, and for lying under oath about the possession of said artifact. You will have a trial in front of the Wizangamot within a period of thirty days," Kingsley told her, and flicked his wrist, causing the rope to bind her hands behind her back, then took her own wand from her, sticking it in his belt.

Tonks leveled an icy glare at the now former professor. "I hope you enjoy your time in Azkaban, _Madame_," she sneered, reminding everyone in the room that she was, indeed, a Black.

The two Aurors lead the still protesting woman from the room, leaving the same five people that had been in the room originally. Remus turned to Sirius.

"Did you find him?" he demanded, and the professors turned to listen.

"I did. He's in the Hospital Wing now, and he's taken a large dose of Dreamless Sleep, so he'll be out until tomorrow morning," he told his friend. Then he slowly turned towards the other three, his righteous anger returning. "How dare you," he whispered venomously. "When a student has over forty detentions with one professor, multiple with another," he shot Snape a cold glare, "has been attacked twice by fellow students in the castle and once on the pitch, has been sent to the Hospital Wing twice, and is clearly beginning to crack under all the pressure, you think that the student's guardian does not need to be called?" he demanded, his voice never rising above a whisper, but it was heard clearly by all.

Minerva shifted slightly. "I was going to call you after the attack on Halloween, but Harry reminded me that you were abroad on Order business, and I…"

"That doesn't matter!" Sirius exploded, causing all of them to jump. "I was at a school! You truly think that the headmaster would not have understood if I needed to return for a brief time to deal with such a serious family issue? A family issue at a school, nonetheless? Harry is my godson, he is practically my son, and you don't think to inform me of any of this?" he demanded, aghast. "Harry was an inch away from snapping under all the pressure. Albus, I understand that the Order has needs, but we always knew that the Spanish school was a longshot at best. I am a guardian first, and when I attended, if a student had more than ten detentions in a single term the guardians were informed. The same is true with Hospital visits, though that is a single visit! Why is it that none of the bylaws are followed with Harry Potter, but are followed for every other student?" he spat.

Then he rounded on Snape. "James Potter is dead!" he shouted, causing the man to step back in surprise. "James is dead, and has been for a decade and a half, which you know very well. Stop seeing Harry as his father, and mentally abusing him in some sick, twisted version of revenge. James is gone, and if you need to repay someone for something that happened over twenty years ago, I am right here. But you know that you gave as good as you got, so leave Harry the fuck alone!"

Snape stared at his rival, amazed. He couldn't think of a single thing to say, as everything had changed over the last few hours. He nodded mutely, and stepped back.

"You disgust me," Sirius spat, looking at all of them. "I have half a mind to pull Harry from this school and wipe the dust from our shoes behind us. You are educators. If the strain of being professors and members of the Order is becoming too much, let me know, and we can find a solution, but get your arses in gear and act like the professionals you are." He turned to Remus, still furious beyond belief, but unable to look at the others any longer. "Spain is not joining the cause. I got them to agree not to join Voldemort, but that was the best I could do; their Head informed me this morning. Would you keep an eye on things while I go back and get my belongings? I want to be able to stay when Harry wakes up."

Remus nodded mutely, and watched as Sirius Flooed back to Spain. There were several minutes of silence before he spoke. "Well, I believe that Sirius said all of that better than I could have. Now, if you will excuse me, I have someone to go see." He went to the door, then turned back around. "Oh, and you might want to see if any other students have had detentions with that toad, they might need medical attention as well."

Remus had just gotten into the corridor when Ron and Hermione ran up to him, panting. "We've looked everywhere we could think of," Hermione gasped. "We can't find him anywhere!"

Remus waved her comment off. "Sirius found him; he's in the Hospital Wing now. He took Dreamless Sleep, so he'll be out until tomorrow."

Ron and Hermione looked sad at that comment, and exchanged a glance. "Are you on your way to see him?" Ron asked hesitantly.

Remus nodded and studied them for a minute. "Would you like to come with me so you could see him? Sirius had to leave for a little while, but he should be back later."

The two nodded quickly and followed him through the castle to see their friend. They were nearly there when they were stopped again.

"Granger, have you seen Potter?" Blaise asked, Theo next to him. "We were supposed to meet up after Hogsmeade, but he hasn't shown."

Hermione looked at Remus, who stepped in. "Harry's not feeling well, I don't think he'll be up for anything this weekend."

Blaise nodded. He had been wondering what was going on, but he would find out later, if he could. "Alright, wish him well from me, professor," he said to Remus, then he and Nott went back the direction they had come from.

The three made their way back to the Hospital Wing and found Poppy had just finished wrapping Harry's hand in fresh gauze, and stood to put away a few salves she had used. "Remus, it is nice to see you," she greeted, and nodded at the two students. "You can stay for a while, but the two of you can only be here for a short time, I don't want Mr. Potter to wake up too early."

Ron and Hermione agreed quickly, and the three pulled chairs up to Harry's bed. "I haven't seen him look that peaceful in a while," Hermione whispered. She wondered if this was how they had felt when she'd been petrified.

Remus turned to her. "Alright, you two, I have a few questions."

Ron nodded. "I figured you would. What do you want to know?"

Remus thought for a moment. "First off, Harry has friends in Slytherin?" he asked, thinking about the short encounter they'd just had. He remembered both of them from his days teaching, and they weren't pro-Dark, but it was still a bit surprising.

Hermione was the one that answered. "Yeah, he knows a lot of people from each House, but he and Blaise have gotten to be friends, along with Anthony Goldstein from Ravenclaw, and Susan Bones from Hufflepuff."

The former professor nodded. "Makes sense, he did mention about wanting more inter House cooperation. Okay, Sirius had mentioned something a few minutes ago about Harry being attacked on Halloween?"

Ron took that one. "He didn't tell you?" Then he bit his lip, knowing that wasn't the best thing to say. "Yeah, three seventh year Ravenclaws asked to talk to him after the feast and took him to an abandoned classroom. When we didn't hear from him for a while, we found Professor McGonagall and told her. Apparently the students were marked Death Eaters and were angry with Harry for starting the DA, so they attacked him. He needed to stay the night because one of them sent a bone breaking hex to his shoulder."

Remus clenched his fists, furious at the idea of more DE after Harry. "Okay, what about the Quidditch game?"

Hermione told him about the bludger to the head after the game had been over, and that Harry only needed to stay for a few hours, not overnight. Before he could ask, she also told him about the attack that had taken place their first week back, and that Ginny had sent up a shield charm that protected them.

Remus nodded, making a mental note to thank the youngest Weasley. For the next half hour, Ron and Hermione filled Remus in on what had been going on for the fall term.

As soon as they were finished, Remus raked a hand over his face. He felt horrible for not being able to protect his cub as much as he would have liked, but he knew that he and Sirius would be making up for lost time now.

"Thanks for telling me everything. Now, you should get back to your common room before Poppy comes back out."

The students stood, and made him promise that they would be informed if anything else happened. Hermione told him that they had grabbed Harry's purchases, and they were on his bed in the dorm.

Not long after, Sirius walked into the Wing. "How's he doing?" he asked Remus.

"He hasn't even twitched since I got down here. I'll bet he eats a great breakfast tomorrow," he commented, seeing that it was nearly dinner time.

Sirius nodded and sat down in one of the empty chairs. "Albus was looking for you, said he needs to ask you something."

Remus scoffed. "And the reason he couldn't just ask you?"

"Probably because he knows I'd bite his head off," Sirius said off-handedly.

The werewolf snorted. That was true. "Alright, I'll go see him after dinner."

"Minerva said she'd send some food up for us a little later."

Remus just nodded at him. They sat in silence for a while until their food came, brought by two house elves, and they dug in, as neither had eaten lunch. They spoke briefly about Harry and the events of the term, but neither one of them really wanted to rehash everything.

"I wonder how his grades have been," Remus thought out loud after a few hours.

Sirius looked up at him, having dozed off slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Well, with all the stress he's been under, do you really think his grades have been top notch?"

Sirius shrugged. "Harry had mentioned that he'd been skipping sleep and meals to do his work, but that doesn't mean much. I'll talk to Minerva about it, see if I can get a look at his grades so far. There's only a week left before break anyway, so we can go over things with him later on."

"Did you mean it?" Remus asked, then elaborated when he saw the confused look. "You had mentioned maybe pulling Harry from Hogwarts. Do you really think you will?"

Sirius sighed and slumped in his chair. "Part of me wants to. It's clear that Dumbledore doesn't have his best interests in mind. But in all honesty, I'll do whatever Harry wants. He deserves to have a say in it. If he wants to be homeschooled, I will happily help him. If he wants to stay here, then we're going to have a long talk, and I'm going to have another one with Minerva and Albus."

Remus nodded. He had figured as much, but wanted to make sure. "Well, I'll go see what the old goat needs. You going to sleep in here tonight, or should I ask if there's a guest room?"

Sirius chuckled. "I'm staying with him. Knowing my godson, he'll get up in the morning and pretend everything's fine."

Remus laughed. "It's like you know him," he joked, and made his way across the castle. "I'm going to ask about a guest room, I don't think my back can handle these beds."

Sirius barked a laugh and turned back to the book he had been reading. It wasn't long later that his head drooped and he fell asleep. He didn't even wake when Poppy levitated him onto a bed and covered him with a blanket.

* * *

**I think this makes up for the cliffie, don't you? :-) I think this time Sirius's speech was oh, so much better than his first. Never piss off a Black, huh? The first time, he was just frustrated, this time... he was irate! **

**Well, next up will be his talk with Harry. So, I'll see you then!  
**


	18. Chapter 18

***THUD* That sound, my dear, wonderful readers, was my jaw making friends with the floor. The response my last chapter received was _amazing! _43 reviews, which is a record on a single chapter so far during this epic, monster of a story. I had hoped that the return of Sirius and his verbal bitch-slap to the professors would be enjoyed, but I wasn't expecting that! Thank you, guys, since it seems like every time I check my email, I have comments, subscriptions, and favorites. Keep them coming! :-)**

* * *

When Harry opened his eyes, his first thought was 'Not again!', but then he remembered that he hadn't been attacked, but had taken Dreamless Sleep after talking to Sirius. Remembering everything, he shot up and started looking around for his godfather.

"Looking for me?" Sirius asked, walking into the Wing with a tray laden with food. "You know, there's a house elf who I thought was going to faint when I mentioned you were in the hospital again."

Harry cracked a smile at that. "Yeah, that would be Dobby. He's the elf from second year that I told you about, and the one that got me Gillyweed last year. He's great."

Sirius nodded and put the tray on the bed and grabbed a piece of toast. "Eat up, kiddo, you must be starving."

Now that he'd mentioned it, Harry realized that he was hungry, so he dug in with relish, realizing halfway through that his hand was freshly bandaged. He groaned quietly.

Sirius was watching him, and nodded. "Yeah, Poppy changed the dressings for you. How's it feel?"

"It's better," Harry admitted.

Sirius just nodded, and they ate in silence. When Harry drained the last of his juice, Sirius sat forward a bit. "Why didn't you tell anyone what was going on?" he asked softly but firmly.

Harry shrugged, but then saw Sirius's look. "I didn't want them to call you. I knew that if you heard about Umbridge that you would come back from Spain, and the Order needs allies for the war."

Sirius sighed. "Yes, I would have come back. The school would have understood why I needed to, and wouldn't have held that against us. Also, what if Umbridge had been using the Quill on other students, besides yourself?"

Harry paled at the idea. He had never thought about the fact that she could have hurt other people. "She didn't, did she?" he asked, horrified at himself. "It's all my fault, if I had told McGonagall about it, that toad would never have been able to hurt anyone else…"

"She didn't," Sirius told him, which calmed him slightly. "Remus had Minerva check last night, and she spoke with any student who had a detention with her. They did have to do lines, but never with the Quill."

Harry sagged in relief. He couldn't believe how stupid he'd been. He was so used to it being his uncle, who would never have hurt Dudley, so he hadn't thought of the danger other kids might be in. "What happened to her?" he asked.

Sirius grinned. "She's been fired and arrested."

"Arrested?" Harry asked.

Sirius looked at him, then realized something. "You don't know what she used on you, do you?"

Harry shook his head.

"It's called a Blood Quill, and she clearly got it at the Ministry. It is only to be used on legal documents and contracts, such as a person's Will. I had to use one when I signed the papers to be your legal guardian."

Harry gaped at him. "You had to use that horrid thing?" he demanded.

Sirius smiled gently at him. "Just for two signatures. However, it is illegal to use on minors, especially without their guardian's consent. The only places that own Blood Quills are the Ministry and Gringotts."

Harry thought it over. He should have known it was illegal, but hadn't given it much thought.

Sirius asked another question. "What were the burns from?" he asked, gesturing to his hands.

Harry looked down. "When I was in the first detention, I remembered the last time someone used my blood for something, and it was Voldemort's rebirth. I told her that she had to destroy the parchment, because I wouldn't let her have my blood. So she would burn the paper when I was finished writing."

Sirius let out a breath of anger at that woman. "While I'm glad that you thought about people using your blood for questionable reasons, I wish that you had managed another way without being burned every time. But what's done is done." Then he sighed. "Alright, I only have a few more questions. Do you really think that I'm going to send you back to the Dursley's?" he asked seriously.

Harry hung his head. He knew he shouldn't have mentioned that. Keeping his gaze anywhere but at his godfather, he shrugged. "I'm not sure. I guess I can't help but wonder if this is for real. If it's permanent. Expulsion is a pretty big deal, and I don't know how you'd react." Of course, he would find another option, any other option, before willingly returning to his relatives on Privet Drive.

Sirius was truly wishing that he had cursed the awful people when he could have. "Harry look at me, please," he said, and waited until Harry did. "I'm not a fair-weather godfather. If you do something truly awful, then we'll have a long talk about your punishment, but I will die before I let you be returned to those people. And before you worry, I will never hit you, lock you in a closet, or stop feeding you. Ever," he reiterated, shuddering at the thought. "And if you had gotten expelled for anything that Umbridge said, I would have understood."

Harry blinked back the sudden wetness in his eyes, refusing to cry in front of his godfather. "Thank you," he whispered.

Sirius just nodded, knowing that Harry needed a few minutes to compose himself. So he asked another question after a few moments. "How were you able to do that level of magic that I saw in the Shack last night?" he asked, truly curious. Now that he wasn't worried out of his mind, he was amazed.

Harry gave a watery chuckle. "I probably shouldn't have done that much magic at once, but I was upset. And I don't think that I could do it again, at least without being at that emotional pitch. Anyway, I've been practicing wandless magic a lot, and I started nonverbal spells recently, but I always got a headache if I tried to do them at the same time."

"And how did you get to the Shack so quickly?" Sirius asked. "No one saw you leave Hogsmeade; Ron and Hermione asked around."

Harry grinned happily. "No one knows about my form," he said meaningfully.

Sirius gaped at him. "I know that you were able to manage it over the summer, but I figured it was because of the fear of being caught! You managed the full transformation already?"

Harry laughed. "Yep. But don't tell anyone; no one else knows about it."

Sirius looked at him. "You haven't told Ron and Hermione about any of this?" he asked curiously. He knew how close they were.

Harry shrugged. "I haven't told them about my form yet. I wanted you to be the first one to see it during break. I have told them about my wandless abilities, and I've been teaching them how to do it as well."

Sirius gaped at him. "You mean that two other fifth years are able to do wandless magic?" he demanded.

"Yeah. I read a book about it, and found that in Merlin's time, it used to be a common thing, until one of his descendents created wands because he wasn't as powerful as his family. They aren't quite as advanced, though Ron is pretty powerful; his spells pack a bit more of a punch than Hermione's, though she's able to cast a few more spells than him."

Sirius was still in shock. "Do you think you could teach me?" he asked. As soon as he'd said it, he nearly laughed.

But Harry was nodding quickly. "Definitely, I can show you during break if you want. There's a book in the Room of Requirement that is absolutely amazing, I think I'll take it back with me." Then Harry remembered that he hadn't even asked if he could go home for break. After all, Sirius might have to go back to Spain. "Actually, speaking of break, is it alright if I come back to your- I mean, our house? Or do you have to go back to the other school?"

Sirius mock glared at him. "I thought we'd talked about this. That is your home, too. The mission is finished, and I'll be there for all of your break, and probably next term as well." Then he paused. "What's the Room of Requirement?"

Harry stared at him. "You mean the Marauder's never found it?" he demanded, amazed.

Sirius shook his head, and Harry went on to explain how Dobby told him about it, and what he'd been doing. "That's amazing!" Sirius exclaimed. "I can't believe we never found that place. Of course," he laughed, "we might have hidden from Filch in there and just never realized its powers."

Harry laughed at that; it was probably true. "We can stop by there later, if you want," he offered, eager to show him the room.

"As soon as Poppy declares you fit," he told him, then remembered another topic he needed to broach with him. "Harry, have you given any thought to next term?" he asked.

Harry looked down at his hands. "A few days ago I was thinking about begging you to let me be homeschooled, but now that Umbridge is gone, I don't know. To be honest, it depends on the teacher that they get to replace her. If it's another Ministry hag, someone just like her, then would you be alright with me coming home?"

Sirius nodded. "Absolutely. What if it's someone else?"

Harry thought about that. "I want to work with the DA some more. They are doing really well, and I think that I could make a difference," he said honestly.

Sirius nodded, since he had assumed as much. "Well, then we'll cross that bridge when we get there." He sighed, and fixed his godson with a look. "Harry, I need to know that if something is going on, that I can count on you to tell me," he said seriously. "I know that you can handle yourself, but someone harming you is something that I won't accept, especially professors. I need you to tell me when something is going on at school. I don't care if I'm at home, if it's two in the morning, or if I'm halfway around the world. I need you to talk to me."

Harry could tell with one look that Sirius wasn't going to budge on this. It was a strange feeling, since he wasn't used to someone treating him like this, and he couldn't help the warm feeling that spread through him. "I promise," he said firmly. "If something happens, I'll let you know." Even as he said that, he realized it was true. Though the past term had been hell on earth, it was clear that something good had come from it. He finally realized that there was an adult that was firmly in his corner.

Poppy came out to take a look at him, and said that he was fine to leave as long as he took it easy, which he readily agreed to. "Would you like to have one more lesson before break?" she asked him. "I'm free for Thursday evening."

Sirius looked between the two, confused, but Harry nodded. "That would be great," he said readily.

When the two were on their way to the seventh floor, Sirius asked. "What did Poppy mean by that?"

Harry smiled. "She's been giving me lessons on healing a few times a month. I figured that no matter what I decide to do, it'll be useful knowledge to have."

Sirius nodded as he thought about that. "You're right, it would be useful. It's actually required for Aurors before they can go into the field, but the training usually takes a while, and is one of the last things you learn. How far are you?"

"I can heal bruises, scraps, burns, I can do diagnostic spells, I can splint a broken bone, and we're working on healing broken bones."

Sirius grinned. "Sounds like you could work at St. Mungo's if you wanted to."

Harry laughed. "Madame Pomfrey said the same thing. If Voldemort is dead and all his minions are arrested by the time I graduate, I'll think about it," he joked.

Sirius sighed, wishing that Harry could just be a kid, but that was just wishful thinking, he knew. They stopped in a corridor, and Harry paced in front of the wall, and the familiar door appeared. "Welcome to the Room of Requirement," he said with a grin, leading him in. They had to duck, though, as a book came flying at them.

"What the-" Sirius exclaimed, but Harry laughed as he caught sight of his friends practicing their wandless magic.

"How's it going?" he asked pointedly, staring at the book now on the floor.

Hermione grinned sheepishly. "We were practicing Banishing charms," she explained.

Ron laughed. "That one was mine. Sorry, mate, sorry Sirius," he called.

Sirius waved him off. "Not a problem. Looks like you guys are getting pretty good at wandless magic," he commented.

Ron and Hermione immediately turned to Harry, as he had asked that they not tell anyone else just yet. Harry rolled his eyes. "I told you that Sirius was the one that realized it," he reminded them.

Ron grinned. "That's right, forgot about that. How are you feeling?"

Harry shrugged. "Better than before, that's for sure. The fact that our beloved DADA professor was fired and arrested certainly helps."

Hermione gasped. "What?"

So Sirius gave them all a rundown of what happened the night before, and what she had been using in Harry's detentions.

Ron looked a bit frightened at the rage in Sirius's face, but that anger was echoed in Hermione's. "That no good TOAD!" she screeched.

Ron and Harry exchanged a slightly amused look. The last time she'd been that angry, she had punched Malfoy in the face. All four of them were slightly shocked when a dummy that looked identical to Umbridge appeared across the room, and Hermione sent a wandless Reducto to it, ripping it into pieces.

Harry looked at her, impressed. "Not bad," he commented.

Hermione was amazed. She hadn't cast that spell without a wand yet, and had done it on her first try. "I can't believe I could do that," she said, eyes wide.

Harry laughed. "I'm not. You can always do things you think you can't when you're upset," he told them, and glanced sideways at Sirius. "Could you help me out with something?" he asked.

Sirius stared at him; he knew that tone. "What is it?"

"A duel," Harry said simply. "I told you I've been practicing wandlessly, and I want to see how good I've gotten."

Sirius stared at him. "You're serious," he realized. "You actually want to duel me without a wand."

Harry nodded. "Yep."

Sirius shook his head in amazement. "Alright, get ready," he said, pulling out his wand. Then he looked at the other two. "You might want to move out of the way unless you want to get hit," he advised them. They scurried to the other side of the room.

Sirius didn't give a warning, he struck. He sent out a silent Stunner followed by a spoken Incarcerous. Harry dodged the first, and sent up a shield for the second before sending a Banishing charm back. Sirius dodged it barely in time, and threw up a shield to block the Disarming charm. He lowered the shield to cast his own counter spell, when he felt his feet refuse to move when he tried, and needed a second to rebalance himself. He raised his shield again before he looked down and saw that his godson had transfigured his shoes into rocks. He hurriedly tried to undo the spell, when his wand flew out of his hand, and then he fell to a Stunner.

Ron and Hermione were staring at him, before Hermione squealed. "Harry, that was amazing!"

Harry grinned at them before he went over and restored Sirius's shoes before he woke him up.

"Wakey Wakey," he teased. When Sirius looked at him, he laughed.

"You know how embarrassing it is to be beaten by your fifteen year old godson?" Sirius grumbled as he got up. "That was a brilliant bit of Transfiguration, though," he commented. He knew that the spells he'd used were not the hardest, but he wasn't going to risk hurting Harry, who hadn't been holding a wand, and who had just gotten out of the Hospital Wing. Poppy would have killed him.

Harry grinned.

"You want another go?" Sirius asked, grabbing his wand, thinking that he could pick it up a bit.

Harry thought for a moment. He was still a little weak from the amount of magic he'd done yesterday. "Not a full on duel," he said slowly. "Though, I would like to work on keeping my shield up against more than one spell. Would you cast at me, and I just work on my shield strength?"

Sirius considered. "Only Stunners," he warned. "I don't want to hit you with something and have Poppy after my blood."

Harry chuckled. He knew how protective the nurse was of her patients. "Deal," he agreed, and made his way to the center of the room. "Go," he called, focusing on the spell.

Sirius began casting slowly, and picked up speed after the third. On the fifth, the shield wavered, and fell on the sixth, knocking Harry back a few feet.

The older wizard walked over, and quickly revived him, and gave him a hand up. "Not bad," he complimented. "Most Aurors can't hold a shield up for more than ten spells at once, so you're getting there. Keep all you focus on the spell, and it might help. If you need to recast it, do so."

Harry thought about that, and nodded at the advice. He knew that he still had a ways to go, but he was on the right track.

"Harry," Hermione called, then walked over when she realized they were finished talking. "We still have that essay for Professor Babbling that's due tomorrow, and it'll take a while. We should get started."

Harry sighed, but he knew she was right. He looked up at Sirius. "Will you let me know before you leave?" he asked quietly.

Sirius nodded. "Sure thing. I just have to go and talk to Minerva and Albus for a while, then I'll come find you. You'll be in the library?" he guessed.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, now and probably after lunch, too," he said, looking at the time.

Sirius chuckled. "Alright, then I'll catch up to you there."

The four made their way out of the Room, Ron heading to the Tower, Sirius to the Deputy Headmistress's office, and Harry and Hermione to the library.

* * *

Sirius arrived at the very familiar office and sighed in nostalgia. It was nearly twice a week that he and James had been sent here, he remembered. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he raised a hand and rapped his knuckles on the door.

"Sirius," Minerva said in shock as she opened the door. "Come on in."

Sirius walked in and closed the door behind him, then took a seat. "How has your day been so far?"

Minerva sighed. "Busy," she told him. "There's a lot of paperwork involved in firing a professor, though in this case it is definitely worth it," she finished darkly.

Sirius nodded. "I did have one thing that I wanted to discuss with you, if you have the time," he started politely.

Minerva looked at him, then nodded. "What did you need?" she asked.

"I know that with all the stress he's had this term, Harry most likely has not been doing as well as he could in his classes. I was wondering if I could find out what his grades are?"

Minerva nodded. "Of course. I have been asking a few of the teachers as well, because he seemed to be a lot more focused this year compared to years prior. In my class, he is averaging an Exceeds Expectations, Filius and Pomona say the same for Charms and Herbology. I have not been to see Binns yet, so I don't know about his History grade, but Professor Babbling loves his work and says that he's close to an E as well. I don't have his grades for CoMC, Potions, Astronomy, or Arithmancy on me, though," she finished, looking up from a piece of paper where the grades were written.

Sirius thought for a moment. Nearly straight Es and whatever his other classes were. That was impressive for someone with the load that Harry had. "What was the toad giving him?" he asked shrewdly.

Minerva sighed. "She was giving him a P, which was nearly a D."

Sirius's eyes were ablaze with fury at that, knowing that DADA was Harry's best subject. "Has Albus considered who might take over the position?" he asked harshly.

Minerva thought for a moment. "Knowing him, he has a few ideas, but won't talk about them until he knows for sure who is going to take them."

Sirius nodded, understanding. He hoped like hell that the headmaster found someone decent, because even though he would love to have Harry back full time, the teen should stay at the school if he could. He stood and shook the hand of his former Head. "Thank you, Minerva. I'll see you soon, I'm sure."

She nodded back at him. "Take care, Sirius. Rest assured, if anything happens with Mr. Potter this term, you will be the first to know," she promised.

Sirius scowled at her. "See that I am," he retorted, and left. He knew that she shouldn't have snapped at her, but he couldn't believe how much the school had kept from him over the past few months. Shaking his head, he made his way over to the Headmaster's office. He spoke the password, walked up the steps, and knocked on the door.

"Come in, Sirius," Dumbledore called.

Sirius shook his head, and walked in. He was surprised to see Remus there as well as Manuel Zabini and Augusta Longbottom, two of the governors on the Board.

"Did I come at a bad time?" he asked quickly, looking between the four.

"Not at all, my boy, we were just finishing," Albus told him, a twinkle in his eyes. "Thank you for your time and consideration," he told the Board members. A quick goodbye and two Floo trips later, the only one left was Remus, who was looking rather shocked.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked, looking back and forth between his friend and his former headmaster.

Albus sat back down with a satisfied smile on his face. "Well, Remus here has agreed to resume his role as Defense professor, and the Board just approved it."

Sirius gaped at him, then turned to Remus. "That's what he wanted to talk to you about yesterday!" he exclaimed.

Remus reddened and nodded. "He offered, but I wasn't sure what to do. Though I am hesitant because of my lycanthropy, we certainly don't want another Umbridge running things. Everyone would fail their OWLs if the Ministry had their way."

Sirius nodded, still getting over his shock, then he grinned. "Well, I guess I'll know Harry's answer about whether or not he wants to be homeschooled this term," he teased. "Congrats, Moony."

Remus blushed again. "I only hope that everyone will be as accepting about it as our trio is," he said worriedly.

Albus waved him off. "I would be unable to count how many students this term alone have begged me to bring you back, even knowing about your condition. True, there are students that will not be happy about this, but the Board has approved it, and is sending out letters to all parents to inform them about your condition, as well as the Wolfsbane potion. They received a contract signed by both Severus and Remus, stating that he will be taking his potion every full moon."

"How did you get Severus to agree?" Sirius asked, surprised.

Albus smiled. "I simply reminded him of how many of his snakes want Remus back, and how many of them would be at risk of failing with another Ministry appointee."

Sirius nodded. He would swear at times that Dumbledore could have been in Slytherin with some of his plans. "Well, at least I can count on someone to keep me informed," he said, looking at Remus.

Lupin nodded at him. "You can bet on it. I'll let you know if anything happens to him this year, I promise."

Albus sat forward slightly. "Well, know that we have all of that out of the way, I would like to hear about everything that happened while you were in Spain."

Sirius nodded wearily and sat in one of the chairs. Setting aside his anger at the man for the way he'd handled things, he was still the wizard that everyone looked to as leader of the Light. In order to do that, he needed information on everything that the Order was doing. He settled himself in his seat, and prepared for a long conversation.

* * *

Meanwhile, Harry and Hermione were working through their large pile of homework. With detentions taking up his every evening the week before, he was a little behind, especially in Arithmancy, as Professor Vector continued to assign him large amounts of homework, saying that it would help him catch up. He truly wasn't sure how he was doing in that class, but figured that Vector would let him know if it was truly bad.

They made their way through the Runes essay, the Transfiguration questions, and now Harry was beating his head against the table trying to understand his Arithmancy homework. Hermione had already left, so he couldn't as her for help.

"Having problems?" asked a voice from the doorway, and Harry spun around to find Susan Bones looking worriedly at him.

"Susan!" Harry said, surprised to see her. "Have a seat."

"Auntie sent me an owl, telling me what was going on with Umbridge," she said, eyes clouded with worry. "Are you alright?" Her aunt hadn't given details, but clearly something had happened between the student and professor.

Harry shrugged. "More relieved than anything," he told her honestly. "I'm glad that she's fired and arrested, but I'm really glad that she never hurt another student. I would have felt so bad if I hadn't said anything, and she was able to hurt someone else because of it."

Susan shook her head. "Have you always tried to take the weight of the world and put it on your shoulders?" she asked with a slight smile.

Harry grinned at her. "It's my specialty," he joked. Then he grew serious again. "But seriously, thanks for talking to your aunt, it means a lot."

She shook her head. "It was nothing. I really want the DA to start back up. Hopefully we can have a meeting before people leave for break."

Harry agreed with her. "There's still a lot that I want to teach you guys. I mean, Flitwick was going to go through duels with us, and I want to plan out mock battles with uneven numbers," he trailed off. "I really hope that they'll let us start back up again."

Susan just nodded, then looked at what had gotten him so frustrated. "You're taking Arithmancy?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "Kind of. I'm not in the class, since I never took the last two years, but Professor Vector has been tutoring me twice a week, but I'm just not getting it."

"Want some help?" she offered. "I have a tutor over the summers, and I absolutely love it."

Harry looked at her in gratitude. "Would you mind? I'm so stuck right now."

Susan smiled at him and sat down, pulling his assignment closer so that she could see it. She bent over it, and Harry smiled. It was nice to have someone so willing to help him. Together, they worked through the questions and had it finished in record time.

"Thank you," he said gratefully, stretching his back. "I doubt I would have gotten through half of it without you."

Susan grinned. "It's not a problem. Consider it me paying you back for all the help with Defense. I shudder to think how far behind I would be without the DA."

Harry chuckled at that. He looked at the time and realized that lunch had already been served. He looked at Susan. "We missed lunch. Do you want to go down to the kitchens with me? I think I can persuade them to give us some food."

Susan looked at him with mock sternness. "Mr. Potter, you know that students aren't supposed to go to the kitchens."

Harry laughed. "True, but I'm sure they won't mind."

Susan grinned and nodded, and the two made their way towards the kitchens, only to be stopped by Remus and Sirius.

"Where do you two think you're going?" Sirius asked, eyes sparkling with mischief.

Harry rolled his eyes at him. "To the kitchens," he said. "We missed lunch because Susan was helping me with Arithmancy." Then he stopped. "Are you two leaving?" he asked, looking back and forth between the two.

Sirius grinned, and looked at Remus. "I'll be leaving after dinner tonight, but, uh," he trailed off, looking pointedly at his friend.

Remus chuckled. "You know Albus wanted everyone to wait until dinner to make the announcement," he told Sirius. Then he turned to the two students. "The headmaster found a DADA professor for you."

Harry looked nervously between the two. "Who is it?" he asked apprehensively.

"Me," Remus said simply.

Harry did a double take, and looked at Sirius to confirm. When he simply saw Sirius's grin, he grabbed Remus in a hug. "Professor Moony is back," he joked.

Remus hugged him, then pulled back. "You can still call me Remus in private," he reassured the teen.

Susan was smiling widely at the scene, but also at the news. "Congratulations, professor," she said sincerely.

Remus smiled at her. "Thank you, Miss Bones. Now, I don't want to hold you two up from getting food. And since I'm not your professor until tomorrow, I can't say anything about you breaking the rule of not going to the kitchens," he said with a wink.

Harry thanked him and turned to Sirius. "You're staying until after dinner, then?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah. I'll come find you later and we'll talk," he promised.

Harry agreed, and the two teens made their way to the kitchens. He was hard pressed to contain his happiness. That announcement clinched his decision to stay at Hogwarts for the spring term. Susan was smiling knowingly at him. "Seems like you're pretty excited about that," she noticed.

Harry nodded. "I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn't thinking that Remus would come back to teach."

"He was the best we've had. I'm not surprised that Professor Dumbledore wanted him back after the worst professor left."

Harry was about to say something, but they had arrived at the painting of the fruit, so he tickled the pear and walked in, bracing himself for the hug he knew was coming. He wasn't let down when his knees buckled as Dobby flung himself forward.

"Harry Potter, sir! The Black man said that you were in the hospital agains, is yous alright?" he demanded worriedly.

Harry chuckled and pried the house elf off of him. "I'm alright, Dobby. It was nothing, I was just a little drained from some excitement yesterday. I have someone I'd like you to meet, though," he told him. "This is Susan Bones, one of my friends."

Dobby's eyes got wide. "It be nice to be meet a friend of Master Harry's!" he enthused.

Susan giggled slightly. "It's nice to meet you too, Dobby. We missed lunch, though. Do you think we could get something to eat?" she asked politely.

Dobby nodded frantically, and very quickly the two students were seated and presented with a large amount of food before the house elves vanished from sight. He and Susan shared a rather quiet meal, both too hungry to talk much. It was nice, though, to enjoy a simple meal with someone who was turning out to be a very good friend.

After they had eaten, Susan made her way to her common room, and Harry made his way to the Room. Once he was there, he set the time at one third normal time, and pulled out the book on magical theory he'd been reading and sat down. He was finally up to the section on Occlumency that he'd been wanting to get to.

In no time at all, he found himself entranced by what he was learning. He found that there had been a handful of cases of two people having a connection similar to the one he had with Voldemort, and one would receive flashes of the other's emotions and thoughts, generally when the receiver was asleep, as their guard was down. There was a method of protection that was quite useful that one wizard had developed. It reminded Harry of the Muggle one way windows that were common in police stations. It allowed the receiver to view the image, but continue to keep their thoughts private. He found that the wizard was able to keep the intruder from finding anything, allowing them to observe the image or emotion without the other's knowledge.

Harry found this idea to be quite useful, and couldn't wait to get started on learning it. He quickly made a few notes. He decided that this would be the most useful method for him to learn, as it would give him an idea of what Voldemort was doing, but keep him ignorant of their connection, assuming he didn't already know.

The problem was that there really no way of knowing if it was working until it was tested, and the only one who could test it was Voldemort himself. He would just have to practice it quite a bit, Harry decided. It was only a matter of time before Voldemort revealed his true strength to the Wizarding world, and then Harry would likely get quite a few images.

The downside to this was that there was no known method of keeping the images out, only protecting one's own thoughts. So even if Harry was forced to watch something horrendous, he was stuck.

Harry chose not to think on that, and settled himself down for his meditation. It clearly was going to take a lot of work to perfect this method of Occlumency, and he was determined to learn it as quickly as he could.

He sank into his meditation quite easily, especially after the work he'd been doing on his wolf form, and his continuous work on his shields. However, he found this method of Occlumency quite frustrating, as he truly didn't know if he was making any improvement, but he kept at it. He knew that it was only a matter of time before he would be needing this method, and he was determined to keep himself protected at all costs.

The alarm he'd set went off several hours later, jarring him from his meditation, letting him know that it was time to head to dinner. He got up, surprised at how stiff he was, having sat without moving for several hours. He made his way to the Great Hall, and knew that he wanted to sit with the Gryffindors for the night, especially to see their reactions to Dumbledore's announcement.

So he sat between Ron and Ginny, loading his plate with food, but he was too excited to stuff his face like Ron was doing. Looking over at the twins, he found that they were trying to catch his eye, and motioned that they wanted to talk to him after supper. Harry nodded quickly at them, and turned to Ginny, who started talking.

"I heard Umbridge was fired last night," she told him, studying his face.

Harry nodded. "Apparently the Aurors took her to Azkaban, so there's no way we're going to be seeing her anytime soon."

Ginny stared at him. "Why was she arrested?" she demanded.

Harry bit his lip, not sure what to say. Then he decided to give a little bit of the truth. "Let's just say that some of her disciplinary actions were not Hogwarts or Ministry sanctioned," he hedged.

Ginny took the hint and dropped it, but continued to wonder what he'd meant by that. "Who do you think they'll get to replace her?" she asked.

Harry had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing. "I'm sure Dumbledore will find someone for us," he said diplomatically. He didn't want to ruin the surprise for them.

Ginny looked at him, knowing that he was keeping something, but chose not to comment on it. She shrugged and turned to Hermione next to her and started another conversation.

It was once dinner was cleared and dessert appeared that Dumbledore stood up and walked to the podium. "Good evening. I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend. As you know, Christmas break starts next week and your Heads are collecting names of all those who wish to stay in the castle." Here he paused, his eyes twinkling madly. "Now, as I'm sure many of you know already, our Defense professor Dolores Umbridge has been fired and arrested." He had to pause here for the tumultuous cheering and stomping that rang through the hall. It took a few minutes for silence to rein again. "Yes, I believe we are all pleased at that development. I'm sure quite a few of you are wondering who will be taking over the classes. I am happy to tell you that Remus Lupin has agreed to return to his post as DADA professor."

This time, the cheering was even louder, and Harry's grin was splitting his face. There were only a handful of people who weren't cheering as loud. The first and second years had never had him, so they weren't sure what to think of this teacher, and various people who objected to his lycanthropy.

Hermione turned to Harry. "You knew!" she yelled over the cheering, seeing the lack of surprise on his face.

Harry just grinned wider at that and continued cheering.

It took nearly five minutes for the hall to calm enough for Dumbledore to continue. Harry caught a glimpse of Remus at the head table, and was surprised to see that he was nearly moved to tears by the reception.

"Yes, I believe that we are all happy to welcome him back. There is one thing that I will mention. Remus Lupin is a werewolf."

Complete silence overtook the hall this time. Some of the younger years looked terrified, and a few of the older ones looked furious.

"However," Dumbledore continued. "There has been an advancement in Potions, and the Wolfsbane potion, brewed by Professor Snape, allows Professor Lupin to retain his mental faculties while transformed. He is not a danger to a single member of the student body or to the staff. I will not allow anyone to treat him with anything other than respect. If a single student chooses to ignore this, they will not like the consequences," he warned, and a shudder passed through the hall. "One last thing of note, is that the Educational Decrees passed by Dolores have been lifted until they can be reviewed by another member of the Ministry, so all clubs that had not been allowed to meet are reinstated," he said, looking directly at Harry.

All the members of the DA exploded in clapping and cheering, while Harry was dumbstruck. He'd hoped that he would get to have one last meeting with each class before break, but he hadn't held much hope for it. The tiny bubble of hope inside of him grew, and he took a moment to enjoy the clapping of all the members of the DA.

Ron clapped him on the shoulder. "Congrats, mate," he whispered, knowing how much it meant to his friend.

Dumbledore was smiling. "Yes, I believe we are all happy about that. Now, enjoy the rest of your evening," he told them before stepping down.

Harry thanked him, and then laughed. "Lupin's going to have his work cut out for him to try and teach everyone what we should have been learning all year," he joked, and everyone else agreed. "I'm going to check with Flitwick to see when we can all meet, since people are going home on Saturday afternoon," he said, standing up. "I'll meet you guys back in the common room."

With that, he went up to the head table to his Charms professor. "Professor Flitwick, do you have a moment?" he asked.

Flitwick smiled at him. "Of course. I take it you are wondering when we could all meet again before the students return for break?" he guessed.

"I was. I was wondering if we could do the beginner class on Wednesday after dinner, and the advanced class Friday at the same time."

Flitwick thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "That sounds fine. Let the students know, and maybe we could talk after Friday about what you would like for the DA next semester?"

Harry readily agreed, having planned to ask the same thing. He thanked the professor, and turned to leave, but then stopped, amazed. All of the members of the DA had stayed behind and were watching him talk to the sponsor and waiting. He cleared the lump of emotion that had lodged in his throat and turned to everyone.

"The beginner DA class will be on Wednesday after supper, and the advanced class will be Friday at the same time. Does that work for everyone?" When they all nodded, he smiled. "Great, then I will see you all there."

The students turned to each other and started talking excitedly amongst themselves, and Harry made his way to Sirius and Remus.

"So, Professor, still worried that no one will like having you back?" he asked pointedly.

"I guess I was proven wrong," he replied with a smile.

"You've got your work cut out for you, though," Harry warned. "I guarantee you that Umbridge never taught us anything worthwhile."

Remus nodded. "I figured as much. It's a good thing we've got a week before break, I can find out where everyone is at, and make the lesson plans over break." Then he looked at Sirius, and back at Harry. "I'm going to go start unpacking my office. I believe I'll have you tomorrow afternoon?"

Harry nodded. "It's a double period, my fourth class of the day," he told him, and then he smiled. "Welcome back, professor."

Remus smiled at him, then left the hall. Sirius turned to Harry. "Let's go talk before curfew," he said, and Harry followed him as they made their way to the Room.

The first thing Harry did was set the time to his usual third. Sirius looked at him, confused. "What was that?" he asked.

Harry smiled. "It's a feature of the Room that I've used a lot the last two months. For every hour out of the room, three hours will pass in the room."

Sirius bit his lip. "You've got to be careful with that, kiddo. Make sure that no matter how long you stay in here, you get enough sleep and enough to eat. Remember what you said Hermione was like with the Time Turner?"

Harry nodded at the logic. "I know, but it's the only way I've been able to keep up with all the work lately. I haven't told anyone else about it, though. It's kind of nice to have a place that I can escape to and get things done, whether it's school work or my own projects."

Sirius nodded understandingly. "Well, that explains your grades a bit more."

Harry looked nervous. "What do you mean?"

"I talked with Minerva. I was worried about how your grades were with everything that was going on, that you might be struggling."

Harry was still nervous. "What did you find out?"

Sirius smiled, seeing that he was scared. "You're averaging mostly Es, though she didn't have your Potions and Arithmancy grades, along with a few others. You were failing Defense, though I'm sure that's going to change now that you have a good teacher."

Harry was slackjawed at the news. He had hoped he was doing well, but he was failing a class? "How did she get that for my DADA grade? My essays had been nearly perfect!" Harry protested loudly.

"I know," Sirius soothed. "I'm sure Remus will be taking a look at everyone's grades so far and see how they are really doing."

Harry nodded, but he was still pissed. "I don't know how I'm doing in Arithmancy," he told him. "I've been working hard on the work, but it's just not coming easily to me. And then there's Potions," he finished darkly.

Sirius nodded. "What have you grades been in that so far?"

Harry shrugged. "Probably somewhere between an A and a P," he confessed. "My essays have been alright, though I don't think he's grading them too fairly, since they've been mostly As, and I think they should be an E at least. Then after the Quidditch game, some of the Slytherins were pissed that I had gotten two of them in trouble, though it was their own fault, and they ruined my potions before I could hand them in. I wanted to put a shielding charm around my cauldron, but I know Snape would put me in detention faster than I could blink."

Sirius sighed. He didn't think the man would ever put the grudge behind him. "Put the shield up, and if he gives you detention for it, tell Remus and Minerva. A shield charm is passive magic, so it won't mess with your potion at all, it'll just keep other's away from it."

Harry nodded, thinking it over. He decided that he would do that. He truly enjoyed brewing now, and didn't want his grades to suffer because of a few people who were holding grudges. They talked about school for a while and various things that Harry was learning, and anything that he was struggling with. Sirius was pleased to hear how much Harry was enjoying Runes, and that he'd been reading ahead and couldn't wait to start engraving them, which made them quite a bit more powerful. Sirius warned him to be careful, because one mistake could be disastrous, which was why students didn't start the engraving process until NEWT classes.

Harry told him about all the good things that had happened over the term, which Sirius was pleased to listen to, and learn that not everything had been awful for his godson. When Harry was finished, Sirius told him tales of his past several weeks in Spain and their decision. He could tell that Harry was disappointed that they didn't have another school to ally with them, but was relieved that they agreed not to join Voldemort, which was the same feeling Sirius had. He also shared with him a few things he'd learned.

Harry leaned back with a smile. It was hard to believe that only two days ago he'd been ready to beg to go home with Sirius, and had felt as though he had his own personal dementor hanging over his head the past several months. He was relaxed and enjoying the conversation. When Harry realized that they only had another half hour before they had to leave, he turned to Sirius. "Do you think that we could do a little Occlumency before you leave?" he asked. He hadn't mentioned the research he'd done on the subject, as he wanted to practice it some more before he told anyone.

Sirius thought about it for a moment before he nodded. "That sounds fine." They both stood, and Sirius pulled out his wand. "If I get in, see if you can repel me with just your mind, without using magic," he told Harry, who nodded, and cast the spell.

Harry braced himself, and was pleased when his shields held against the assault. It had been a while since they had practiced, but Harry had been going over his shields for a while to strengthen them.

Sirius was impressed. No matter how hard he tried, there was nothing he could do to get in. For the full half hour he tried to break in, but it was no use. He couldn't even find a crack in Harry's mental shield.

At the end of the thirty minutes, Sirius bent over slightly, gasping. It had taken all of his focus, and had wiped him out. "That was something, kiddo," he said truthfully. "You've been practicing."

Harry nodded. "I haven't had anyone to test me since this summer, so I wasn't sure. Do you think we could keep practicing during break?"

Sirius nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."

The two left the Room and Sirius walked Harry to the Tower. Once they were there, Harry pulled him into a hug. "Thank you for everything," he whispered.

Sirius held him tightly for a moment. "Remember, you can come to me with anything. I want you to come to me." He pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "I'll meet you at Kings Cross on Saturday, alright?"

Harry nodded. "Be safe."

* * *

**I know everyone saw that coming, but I couldn't help bringing back Professor Moony. I guess Dumbledore decided that him teaching was more important right then instead of continuing his work with the werewolves, which was why he hadn't been hired as DADA in the first place.  
**

**One thing of note in this chapter is a character that I made up. Manuel Zabini is Blaise's biological father. We're never told if his father died, just that his mother is a gold digger. So, I'm having it be that Manuel divorced her, which is how she turned into the person she became. Don't know why I chose that, but I did! :-)**


	19. Chapter 19

***sighs happily* You guys rock. I know I keep saying it, but I really love all of you and the support you've been showing. Things have been super hectic for me this week, but I knew I had to get this out for you. Enjoy!**

* * *

The next day, the entire castle was abuzz. Everyone was excited to find out what would happen in their DADA lessons. Harry spent his first class as usual with his nose in the History text, studying the material and wishing that he could put a Silencing charm on Binns so that he would stop yawning. They made their way to Potions, where Snape told them that they would be working on the Pepper – Up Potion, which took two hours to make and half an hour to cool.

Harry set up his cauldron and prepared his ingredients. He looked over at Neville, and found him doing the same thing, which made him smile. Maybe the other boy would be able to brew a better potion now that he knew what worked for him. Harry turned back to his own potion and got to work.

He was halfway through the potion when he got the feeling that someone was watching him, and he knew it wasn't Snape, as he was speaking with Malfoy. Without taking a moment to think about it, he cast a shield charm around his cauldron, not wanting to have wasted an hour of work.

Crabbe went to toss something in, but when he threw it, and flew backwards once it hit the shield and landed in his own cauldron. Harry laughed at the irony, but then his smile fell quickly when Snape hurried over, as Crabbe's cauldron started issuing a foul smelling odor.

"What is going on over here?" he demanded.

"Potter threw something into my cauldron," Crabbe whined, and Harry was forcibly reminded of Dudley complaining to Uncle Vernon.

"Potter!" Snape yelled, turning to him.

"Professor, you can see that I have a shield charm around me and my cauldron. I did not throw anything in his, but rather he tried to do that to mine, and the shield threw the ingredient into his own cauldron," Harry said calmly, stirring the potion.

"Like I'm supposed to believe that," Snape snarled. Then he saw that there really was a shield around Harry's cauldron. "You are not supposed to do magic in this classroom!" he roared.

Harry shrugged. "I'm sorry, sir, but as it's the only way to keep my potions from being ruined, I find the need to place a shield. The shield is passive magic, it doesn't affect the potions that we do until seventh year."

Snape looked furious. However, he knew that a detention wouldn't stick if he told Minerva, so he turned on his heal and stalked off.

Harry grinned to himself as he continued his potion. He thought he handled that rather well, and didn't even lose points for it! Granted, if a Gryffindor had attempted that on a Slytherin's potion, they would have been in detention faster than anything, and Crabbe didn't even get yelled at. He mentally shook his head, knowing that asking Snape to be fair was like asking Dumbledore to give up his sweets.

Potions finished quickly, and Ron went to Divination while Harry and Hermione went to Runes. Harry was practically bouncing in his seat, for once eager for the class to end so that he could get to DADA.

Finally, they made their way to the familiar classroom and all sat down. The atmosphere was completely different than when Umbridge had been teacher, and all the students were leaning forward, eager to start the class.

Remus entered the room just as the bell rang, and he dropped the papers on the desk. "Hello, class," he welcomed them with a warm smile. "Now, as you can imagine, the lesson plans I found in my office were less than worthless. Can anyone tell me what you have been doing in this class so far?" he asked

Hermione was the first with her hand in the air. "We've been reading Basics for Beginners to ourselves and writing essays on what we've learned."

Remus grinned wryly. "So, you've had enough theory to last you a while, huh?"

The class all nodded vehemently.

"Very well. I know that you are all caught up on dark creatures, having taught that to you myself, and you've had quite a bit on curses. Please get your wands out, we need to see where everyone is at."

The class eagerly complied, and Remus banished the desks to the far side of the room. All the members of the DA were trying not to laugh by the end of the double period, as the class had proceeded exactly the same as their first DA lesson. Remus was looking at them, bemused, and wondering what was so funny.

As soon as the class was over, he asked Harry to stay behind.

"That was a good class, Remus," Harry told him once the door was closed.

Remus smiled at him. "Thank you. Now, do you know why everyone kept laughing during class? I didn't think I was going too easy on all of you."

Harry grinned. "Actually, the ones who were laughing were part of the Defense Association. Your class was nearly identical to the first DA meeting, so that I could see where everyone was at."

Remus chuckled at that. "Well, that explains it. How many students are in the DA?" he asked curiously.

"The beginner class is a bit bigger with 52, and the more advanced class has 38," Harry told him. He was still learning everyone's names, but he thought he had them nearly down now.

Remus stared at him. "That's quite a few," he said with raised brows. "If you ever need any more help, let me know."

"Thank you," Harry said honestly, as he hadn't expected the offer. He looked at the time regretfully. "Well, even though my new Defense teacher was awesome and didn't give us homework, not all my teachers were quite as generous," he joked.

Remus smiled as he waved him off. "Go get your work done. I would hate to have to contact your guardian," he mock threatened.

Harry shuddered theatrically, and grinned at him before hurrying to the Room and setting the extended time. Using the extra time he had, he now had twelve hours before supper instead of his usual four, so he spent quite a while on his homework, as he didn't want to fall behind again. He did, however, make sure that he had food, as he'd taken Sirius's warning to heart.

When he set aside his last essay, he still had eight hours. Standing, he stretched to work the kinks out of his back and thought back to the magic he had done in the Shack. He knew that he wasn't at the level of being able to do that quite as easily, but it was clearly possible for him to get there, and he was eager to get started. He scarfed down the sandwich and juice that he'd brought from the kitchens, then stood to begin.

He set to work on his wandless practice, but spoke the spells. He wanted to get both wandless and nonverbal down separately before trying them together again. Because of the detentions he'd had the week prior, he hadn't had a chance to get a lot of practice in, so he was a little behind. It only took him a few hours, though, to master all the spells for first through fourth year in Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense without a wand. However, his head was starting to hurt, so he decided he was done for now.

Instead, he sank into his meditation and worked on the shield. He didn't know how long it was before he would have another vision like he'd had the summer before fourth year, but it was possible, and he didn't want to risk anything. So he went through his mind, making the shield impenetrable, or at least as much as he could.

Thinking about it, Harry realized that his scar pains and the dreams that he would get likely could not be stopped at all by Occlumency; at least not on his side. In a way, it was as though he was unintentionally using Legilimency against Voldemort. If Voldemort would apply Occlumency to himself, the pains and visions would likely end, but Harry using Occlumency would only work if Voldemort tried to reach Harry's mind.

However, Harry would continue to work. There were likely quite a few Death Eaters who would be happy to break into his mind if they were given the chance; his encounter with Malfoy was case and point. So he would keep working on Occlumency, but he knew in his heart of hearts that it likely wouldn't do much.

He practiced reinforcing his shields until the alarm sounded, letting him know that it was time to head to dinner. So Harry stood and made his way to the Great Hall, choosing to sit with the Slytherins today. Normally, he avoided dinner time, since Malfoy was always a prat about it, but he chose to ignore it.

"Hey Blaise," Harry greeted. "Mind if I join you?"

Blaise grinned and shook his head. "Go for it, Potter."

Harry sat, and they started eating. Draco was sending glares at him, but remembered what happened the last time, and didn't say anything. After a while, Harry turned to Astoria. "Where's your sister?" he asked, as he didn't see Daphne anywhere.

Astoria smiled at him. "She's sitting with the Ravenclaws today. She and Clare have been talking lately about maybe getting together over break."

Harry was pleased. He was glad to see that more people were crossing the House lines, not letting the stupid prejudices run their lives for them. He tucked back into his meal with a satisfied smile on his face.

"So, what are we going to be doing on Friday?" Theo asked Harry.

Harry swallowed his bit of pie and thought for a moment before answering. "Well, we haven't met in a while, so I was thinking of doing a lot of revision before starting anything new. If everyone has kept up with practicing, then we might move on, and I have a few ideas, but I think it will be mostly revision."

Theo nodded at the logic. "You had mentioned duels. Do you think we'll be able to get to that soon?" he asked eagerly.

Harry nodded. "Next semester, that's going to be a lot of what we do, I think. I'm going to talk about it with Flitwick and see what he says. I know that it will be difficult, since there's so many people in the DA, and we may have to take turns, but I would like to do quite a bit with both formal duels between two people, and some mock battles between groups. Maybe play around with the numbers to make it more difficult, but that will likely be later on in the spring semester."

Blaise was listening closely. "You've given this a lot of thought," he noted.

Harry shrugged. "I learned a lot with my godfather over the summer, and I realized how behind we all are because of the constant changing of DADA professors. I want to give everyone else the chance that I had to learn more."

That evening passed quickly with Harry playing chess with Ron, and Hermione knitting. Tuesday was spent much the same as Monday with Harry attending classes, then spending his spare time in the Room. He was only able to do a few Charms and DADA spells nonverbally. When he would feel his frustration mounting, he took a break. After dinner, he read a Potions book to pass the time and found that he enjoyed it quite a bit. He made a note of a few things he wanted to discuss with Blaise.

Before he knew it, he was at dinner on Wednesday, finishing up his meal with the Hufflepuffs. He stood to leave and made his way to the room he used during his lessons. Flitwick joined him shortly afterwards.

"So, what are we going to be doing today?" the professor asked Harry.

"Just revision, making sure everyone remembers everything we've been doing. No sense throwing a bunch of new stuff at them before break."

Flitwick nodded and made his way to the corner that he sat in during the classes.

As soon as all the students had arrived, Harry went to the front of the room to talk to them. "Alright, I want everyone to pair up like usual. We'll start with the Disarming Hex for a while, then move on to the Impediment Jinx."

He still found it strange to see people following his orders as the room hurried to obey. He watched them all practice, and was pleased beyond words to see how much they had all improved over the past term. The time passed quickly, and quite a few of the students groaned when Harry called an end to the lesson.

"You guys are looking great," Harry told them honestly. "Now, I know this is the last one before break, but keep it up, and we'll meet the Sunday after term starts up again, usual time."

Everyone nodded, and Harry left. He made his way back to the Tower and over to Ron and Hermione, who were by the fire talking. Nearly everyone else had already gone to the dorms.

"Hey, how was the meeting?" Hermione asked when he sat down.

"It was better than I was expecting," he confessed. "I think they've been practicing by themselves, because they were all doing great."

"I wonder how Friday will go," Ron mused.

Harry shrugged. "Probably close to the same. We did learn a lot more spells, but everyone got used to casting all of them because of the work we did on Shield Charms." He thought for a moment. "Do you two have plans for tomorrow after classes?" he asked curiously. When they both shook their heads, he continued. "How about we head to the Room of Requirement and I can get a look at your wandless abilities?"

Hermione nodded quickly, and Ron chuckled. "Sure, sounds like a plan."

So Thursday found the trio four hours before dinner in the Room casting wandlessly. Harry chose not to show them the time delay feature, but just used normal time. He was pleased at how his friends were progressing in their abilities. Ron's spells seemed to be a bit more powerful than Hermione's, but she was able to cast more at the moment. Harry wondered at that, and filed it in his mind for contemplation later on.

Leaving them on one side to practice, Harry pulled out two of the dummies and set them at Hogwarts graduate level and kept his wand in his pocket. He dueled the two for nearly half an hour before he was able to finish them, and was getting frustrated. He had thought he would be better by now. But he worked to calm himself down and focus on the matter at hand.

After a while longer, Harry took a break, and went to see how his friends were doing. Hermione was working on wandless Transfiguration, finding it to be as difficult as Harry had. Ron was continuing to practice his shield. Though it was nearly as strong as Harry's, he kept at it, knowing that it was important to make it as strong as he possibly could.

"You guys ready to head to dinner?" he asked, breaking their concentration.

They both nodded, so the three made their way and sat with the Ravenclaws for dinner. Hermione was talking about a new book with Lisa while Ron joked with Padma. Harry drew Anthony into a discussion on Runes again.

"Do you know of a place that sells the tools to engrave them?" Harry asked curiously.

Anthony nodded. "I have my own set already, thought I haven't tried them out. I think that my parents got them at Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment."

Harry nodded, thinking hard. He wondered if Sirius would let him go and get a set of engraving tools. "Do you want to take a look at them tomorrow before dinner?" Harry asked.

Anthony thought about it for a moment. "We can try, but from what I've read, it's pretty tricky at first."

"I know," Harry said. "I've been reading a lot about the process, and I want to try it out, but I don't have my own set yet."

Anthony shrugged. "I'm fine with it, we can give it a go. How about you meet me at the unused classroom on the fifth floor at 4?"

Harry agreed immediately, and they went on to discuss other things.

After supper, Harry bid farewell to his friends and hurried to the Hospital Wing for another healing lesson with Poppy. By the end of the evening, they had finished with broken bones, and Harry was able to easily heal the simulation that Poppy said novice healers use to practice on. They talked through concussions until it was nearly curfew. She didn't want him to practice healing them until he had learned both the medical aspect of concussions, as well as the entire theory behind the spell to heal them.

"Well, Mr. Potter, I must say that I'm impressed," she admitted. "I have been healing for a long time, and you have picked up on everything rather quickly. Your mother would be so proud."

Harry stared at her, ignoring the prickling behind his eyes. "What do you mean?" he demanded.

She smiled sadly at him. "I saw your father in here quite a bit because of Quidditch and pranks. But Lily would come in here to learn a lot during her seventh year. She had considered trying for an internship at St. Mungo's during the war, but then she found she was pregnant and chose to stay at home instead."

Harry bit his lip. He had never heard that about his mother. If anything, he now felt even closer to her, knowing that he loved doing something that she had as well. He cleared his throat and looked at the school nurse. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, enjoy your break, and come see me next term and we'll find another time to meet."

Harry left and stumbled his way back to the Tower, his mind going over everything he had heard. He wished he knew more about his mother, but Remus and Sirius didn't know as much about her as they did about his father.

When Harry walked into the common room, he was pulled aside by the twins. George took a look at him and stopped what he was about to say. "Are you alright?"

Harry shook his head to clear it and nodded at the question. "I'm fine. What's up?"

"Well, we know how slammed you've been the past few weeks," Fred started.

"And we didn't want to break our word that we wouldn't sell anything without your approval," George continued.

"Plus our Snackboxes have been selling well. But we have a few more things we'd like you to take a look at if you would," Fred finished.

Harry felt bad. He should have known that his actions might have hurt someone else. "Guys, I'm so sorry, you should have told me…"

"Oh stuff it," Fred retorted.

"We're doing fine and it gave us a chance to look into a few new things," George said.

Harry nodded. "Alright, let's take a look at what you've got."

They went to Harry's dorm, which was empty, and Fred pulled out a bag that was full, and reached in.

"First is Headless Hats," George said, and Fred put it on, his head and the hat vanishing.

Harry gaped. "That's incredible!"

Fred pulled it off. "Why thank you," he said with mock humility.

Harry accepted the hat and put it on his own head. He didn't feel any different, but he was used to his dad's cloak. Judging by the satisfied looks the twins were sporting, he figured it still worked. "How long do they last?" he asked, looking it over.

"Up to two months," George said. "We can't get the charm to last any longer, so we're making sure we put that in the adverts."

"Next up is the portable swamp," Fred interjected. "You might want to sit on the bed for this one," he warned.

Harry obeyed and sat up on his bed, then gasped when the floor of the dorm turned into a swamp. "Wicked!" he yelled.

George laughed at the look on his face, and vanished it. "There's a spell to get rid of it, or it can last for a while. We have one in an abandoned room in the dungeons that's still there, so we'll see how long it can last."

Harry was thinking hard. "How deep is it?"

"Pretty deep, about five feet," Fred said, thinking about it.

"Can I get a few of them?" Harry asked. They would be great in a fight against Death Eaters, to get them stuck in a swamp.

"Sure, we'll have it for you by Christmas," George promised. "Speaking of Christmas, we should probably wait on the last one, because it needs a bit of space to show you."

Harry grinned. "Should I even ask?"

"Probably not," Fred said.

Harry was still looking at the hat he was holding. "Could you make something else invisible, other than the head?"

George considered. "What were you thinking?"

"Well," Harry said, thinking out loud. "Death Eaters love to use Reducto to cause damage. So if you made your wand arm invisible, they would let down their guard, thinking that you were done, making it easier to take them out."

The twins gaped at him. "That's brilliant," they chorused.

"Maybe an armband," Fred suggested, looking at his twin.

"Instead of making it invisible, make it an illusion to look like there's real damage," George offered instead.

The twins locked eyes, and Harry got the impression they were still speaking, just silently to each other. "We'll work on it," Fred promised.

Harry nodded and told them that he wanted to get a bit of reading done, so they took their leave, and Harry laid on his bed and pulled out a book on engraving Runes. Before he knew it, the long day caught up with him and he fell asleep.

Friday was spent much the same, and the fifth years were amazed at the amount of homework they were assigned to work on over break. Even Remus gave them an essay, though it was more interesting than the others they were given. He again spent his break in the Room, but spent the whole time on practicing, since he wasn't going to be able to during break. He would have more than enough time to do his assignments during break.

At 3:45, Harry left the Room and made his way to the classroom that Anthony had mentioned, surprised to find him already there.

"Hey, Harry," Anthony greeted.

"Hey," Harry parroted back. "You ready?"

"Got everything here," he said, pulling out the case and handing it to Harry.

The dark haired teen accepted the case and opened it, looking through the tools. He found the sharpened 'pen' that was used and pulled it out.

"Alright, from what I read, the most common first Rune to put into practice is the one to waterproof something. There are spells that can do the same thing, but with a Rune, the object stays waterproof as long as the Rune is on, unlike Charms which wear off after a while," he recited, remembering what his books had told him. "Once you can carve the Runes, only then should you learn how to put your magic into them to power them further. The only time that's usually used is for wards."

Anthony nodded, surprised that he'd read so much into it. "Did you have something you wanted to work with?"

Harry pulled out a bar of soap. "I figured something soft would work best in case we mess up, and we can cut it out just as easily."

Anthony smiled. It was clear that his friend had thought this through. "Alright then, go for it."

Harry sat at one of the desks and focused hard. Sirius had drilled into him the risks of messing up while carving Runes, and he took the words to heart. It took nearly twenty minutes, but he finally sat back and set the soap down. "Finished," he said aloud.

Anthony came over and stared. It was nearly perfect. "Let's test it out," he said quickly and pulled out his wand and a cracked mug he'd found in the teacher's desk that had been gathering dust. He spelled water into it, and they dropped the soap in. After a moment, Harry reached in and pulled it out. It was still bone dry.

Anthony was impressed. It was their first time carving, and Harry had succeeded on the first try.

Harry went back to the case and pulled out a tool that looked like a shrunken spatula and worked to get rid of the Rune as carefully as he could. That was the more dangerous part, as it had to be done a certain way, or you ran the risk of accidentally creating another Rune. As soon as the soap was clear again, he handed it to Anthony. "Your turn."

It took Anthony a less time than it had Harry, and the results were the same. The Ravenclaw took his time clearing the soap of the Rune, and looked up. "You know, I never would have thought that two fifth years would be able to do this without the teacher's instruction."

Harry laughed. "I know. But we've both read a lot about it, and you are top of the class in Runes, so it doesn't really surprise me that you could do it. Let's try again after we get back from break," he offered.

Anthony nodded enthusiastically. "Sounds like a plan. Now, let's go get to dinner, I'm starving."

Harry agreed and they hurried to get there. Harry chose to sit with the Gryffindors today, and Anthony joined him. When Terry and Lisa walked into the Great Hall and saw him sitting there, they shrugged and decided to join them. Hermione laughed when she entered the Great Hall and sat next to them.

Harry bolted his dinner, wanting to get to the room before everyone else so that he had some time to mentally prepare. Ron offered to go with him, but Harry waved him off. It was nice to have some alone time before classes started.

Harry got into the Transfiguration room before anyone else and mentally went over the spells that they were going to review. He banished the desks to the far wall and cast cushioning charm on the floor for when they got to Stunning. It felt good after the past couple weeks of no DA meetings to go through the usual preparations again.

Students started arriving ten minutes before the meeting was going to start, and the atmosphere was one of anticipation. Harry went to stand in front of all of them.

"Welcome to the last meeting of this term. After today, meetings will resume next term at the usual time. Now, as usual, I want all of you to pair up and go through Stunning without shields. Then I want you to practice your shields. Once that is finished, we'll go through Reducto."

Everyone hurried to follow his instructions, and it was not long later that they had reviewed every spell that they'd learned that term. Ginny's Stunner was one of the strongest he'd seen, and Ron's shield was so strong that no one was able to break it, not even Harry. Justin had a very strong Disarming Hex and Lisa's casting speed was one of the fastest that Harry had ever seen for a student.

Harry checked the time and realized that class was only half over, and he stared at them with pride. "You guys are all looking great," he admitted. "Now, I wasn't wanting to start anything new because we're leaving for break tomorrow, but is there anything you want to go over?" he asked.

"Can we see you duel?" Astoria asked in her quiet way.

Harry grinned as he started loosening up a bit. "That sounds like fun. Anyone want to volunteer to duel me?" It had been a while since he'd been in a duel that wasn't a fight, and he was looking forward to it.

Blaise laughed. "You're on, Potter," he said, coming forward and taking out his wand.

The rest of the class moved out of the way along one side of the room and Flitwick came forward. "Okay you two, no Unfogivables and nothing lethal. You have twenty minutes, though if one is knocked out, the other wins. If both are left standing at the end, it is my discretion who is the winner. Are these rules clear?" he asked authoritatively.

Both wizards nodded and faced each other, bowing slightly before turning and walking further away. Once there was a good twenty paces between them, Flitwick counted down.

"Three. Two. One!"

Blaise had to throw up a hasty shield as Harry sent two Stunners and a Disarming Hex at him. He ducked down and cast a Banishing Charm at him. His casting speed was a bit slower, and he hadn't learned the importance of sending more than one spell to be safe, so he was again put on the defensive as Harry continued to bombard him with spell fire. There were only a few times where Blaise was even able to get a spell off and then needed to put his shield back up. He tried moving around to dodge them so that he could counter, but he quickly tired. After less than ten minutes, Harry broke Blaise's shield with a Disarming Hex, and knocked him out with a Stunner.

The entire class was silent for a moment. It was known that Blaise was a strong wizard, and for a duel to be over that fast was impressive. After a moment, the class cheered for Harry as he bent over, panting slightly. He walked over and revived the Slytherin, getting a glare.

"Where did you learn to duel like that?" he demanded, standing up.

Harry shrugged. "My godfather taught me over the summer, and I've been practicing. You did pretty good, just try to send a few spells at a time to stay on the offensive," he advised him.

Blaise nodded and went over to his friends as Harry stood in front of the class. "Alright, that is an example of a duel. I want all of you to think about it over break and be prepared for practice duels when we get back."

The class dispersed while talking excitedly, and Ron and Hermione came over. "That was brilliant!" Ron told him enthusiastically.

Harry chuckled. "Thanks, guys. I'm going to talk to Professor Flitwick for a bit, then I'll meet you in the common room."

His talk with Flitwick was fast. The Charms teacher complimented him on the duel and gave him a critique of it, breaking it down so that Harry could see what else he could have done. In truth, Harry had held back a bit. He didn't want everyone to know that he was studying and practicing spells that weren't taught for a while, and he definitely didn't want to showcase his nonverbal or wandless skills.

Harry went back to the Tower and spent the evening with his friends just talking and laughing. They had decided not to do their assignments since they would have time to work on them later, and Harry was leaving the next day. Ron was going back to the Burrow, and Hermione was going skiing with her parents, which Ron thought was hilarious after she and Harry had explained the mechanics.

The two wizards packed their trunks before heading to bed, wanting time to hang out again before lunch; after the meal the train would leave. Harry pulled the covers over himself with a smile. So much had changed in the last week that he couldn't believe it, but he was still thrilled to spend the holiday with Sirius.

* * *

As soon as he'd fallen asleep, however, Harry felt himself pulled into the vision of the damn corridors again. However, this time, Harry felt different. He was gliding along his stomach, feeling smooth and powerful. He realized that this was a vision, and clamped his shields into place as quickly as he could. However, this did not stop the vision, it just gave Harry a sense of protection that he hadn't had before. What happened next, however, sickened him.

Harry felt himself creep up on a man that had fallen asleep, wand about to fall from his hand. He tried to end the vision and pull himself out, but he couldn't. Instead, he felt his jaw open and bite the wizard multiple times, the blood pouring into his mouth and onto the floor. It was only when he'd leaned back with a strange feeling of satisfaction that Harry knew wasn't coming from himself that he realized who the wizard was. It was Arthur Weasley.

Thankfully, Harry felt himself pulled from the vision by Ron yelling at him to wake up. Harry tumbled from the bed, tangled in his bedsheets, turned and vomited onto the floor.

"Is he alright?" Neville asked nervously.

"I'm going to get McGonagall," Dean said, his voice wavering.

"Harry, what the hell happened? Are you alright?" Ron demanded, helping Harry sit back onto the bed.

Harry kept his mouth shut. Telling Ron right now would only freak him out. Right now, he needed to get McGonagall to take him to see the Headmaster. He felt his scar prickling, and forced his shields to stay firmly in place. Thinking hard, he grabbed his mirror. "Sirius Black," he said, nearly frantic.

It was a long minute before a bleary-eyed face appeared in the mirror. "Harry, you alright?" Sirius asked tiredly.

Harry shook his head and ran for the bathroom, leaving his dorm mates to stare worriedly after him. "No, Sirius. I just had a vision. Arthur Weasley was attacked by a giant snake. It was in the strange room I told you I've been dreaming about. It felt like I was the snake, Sirius. It felt like I'd attacked him!"

Sirius was now wide awake and pulling on his robes. "Harry, get to the Headmaster's office immediately, I'll meet you there," he promised, and put the mirror down. No sooner had he done that and Harry heard a knock on the door.

"Mr. Potter, are you alright?" Minerva called, worried. All Dean had told her was that Harry had thrown up after a very bad dream.

Harry threw open the door and looked seriously at her. "Professor, I had a vision," he said quietly. He didn't need everyone to hear. "I think Ron and I need to head to Dumbledore's office."

Minerva stared at him. She knew that not everything was as it seemed with the young wizard, and it was probably best to take them to see the Headmaster. "Why does Mr. Weasley need to join us?" she asked, just as quiet.

"His father was attacked in a corridor with a lot of glass balls. I know this wasn't a normal dream, but a vision. Please, Professor. Sirius is already on his way to the Headmaster's office," he pleaded with her. As childish as it may have seemed, he really wanted his godfather right now.

Minerva looked at him a moment longer, then nodded. "Follow me," she said, and waved Ron forward. "You as well."

Ron looked bewildered, but four and a half years had taught him not to argue with his Head of House. The three hurried through the castle, and Harry fought the urge to transform into a wolf and sprint to the office. As soon as they'd gotten there, they heard raised voices, and Harry deduced that Sirius had gotten there first.

"I know that, Albus!" he shouted, then turned as the door opened and the three walked in. He hurried over to his godson and took in the sick that was still on his pajamas and the sheen of sweat on his face. "As soon as this is dealt with, I'll get you some potions," he promised in a murmur, giving Harry a quick hug.

"Mr. Potter, what is going on?" Albus demanded. Sirius hadn't been able to give him much information.

So Harry told him the entire story of the dream and why he'd called Sirius. He even explained how he had put up his shields as soon as he'd known it was a vision, as well as how it had been from the snake's perspective.

Albus shook as he barked orders to two of the portraits. Then he whirled on Harry. "Is there any chance that Voldemort knew that you observed this event?" he demanded, voice harsh.

Harry shook his head. "No one has been able to get through my shields, and I would have known if he had tried."

"If you employed Occlumency, then how were you able to continue to observe the event?"

Harry sighed and explained about the method he'd been learning, and nothing he'd read seemed to think he could block out the visions, and his own theory that it would take Voldemort using Occlumency to keep him out.

Albus started, realizing that the boy was right. He was glad that it seemed as though Tom was still unaware of the connection, which kept Harry safe.

"Okay enough about that," Ron yelled. "What is happening with my dad?"

Up until that point, they had forgotten that Ron was still in the room, as he hadn't said a word. The Headmaster sent Minerva to get the other three red heads, as they deserved to know what was going on.

Harry sat down. He was still shaking, and his head was killing him trying to keep his shields up; but he didn't feel safe enough to put them down just yet, not wanting to risk it. Sirius looked over.

"What is it?" he asked quietly.

Harry shook his head. He didn't feel like talking right now, as he'd just talked for the past twenty minutes explaining the vision, and then his Occlumency research. "Can the Weasley's stay with us until they know what will happen with Mr. Weasley?" he asked instead.

Sirius sighed. He would talk to his godson later. "Of course they can. St. Mungo's will contact Molly, and it would seem suspicious if she knew before they got there, so all of you will Floo with me back to the house," he promised.

Just then, three confused redheads came back in, and Albus gave them a rundown of what had happened, and Sirius extended his offer after explaining why they couldn't go home or to the hospital just yet. Fred and George looked furious that they couldn't go and wait, but Sirius explained the risks involved in that, especially if they thought that Harry was somehow involved in the attack. The twins looked apologetically at Harry, then, and he shrugged it off.

"Well, I will make sure all of you know what is going on as soon as possible," Dumbledore promised.

With that, the teens followed Sirius through the Floo, and he went about making tea for everyone, though he made coffee for himself and for Harry. As soon as he had brought the drinks out, he went into Harry's room and grabbed him some clean clothes. He had made sure to keep some clothes in Harry's size in case he'd forgotten any at Hogwarts over break. "Harry," he called quietly, showing him the clothes.

Harry stood quickly and excused himself. He felt bad enough staying there, an intruder on family grief. "Thank you," he said meaningfully, and hurried to change out of his soiled pajamas.

"Sit down for a minute," Sirius said, grabbing the two chairs and sitting in one. As soon as Harry was dressed and sitting, he looked closely at him. "How are you, really?" he asked, repeating his question from earlier.

Harry shrugged, his gaze on his lap, but he could feel the tension from Sirius, and knew his answer wouldn't work. "I've a bit of a headache from keeping my shield up for so long. I didn't realize how draining it is to do it in my sleep and keep it up while talking."

Sirius looked worried. "Are you still keeping it up?" When Harry nodded, his frown deepened. "Do you feel Voldemort trying to break in?"

Harry shook his head. "No, but I just want to be safe. I can tell he's furious because something didn't work, and I don't want to risk him knowing that I was able to see what happened, because he isn't aware of it right now."

Sirius was glad that there wasn't an attack currently happening, but his heart broke slightly that Harry was having to be so mature for his age. "Something you said to me on the mirror was that it felt as though you had attacked him. You know that you didn't, right?"

"I know," Harry said, still looking at his hands he was wringing in his lap. "I thought that at first, when I first woke up. But then I remembered that I've had visions before, and it was something that we'd talked about over the summer, but you said you couldn't tell me any more about it because of the Headmaster."

Sirius fumed for a moment. That was it, he was going to convince Albus to tell Harry about the prophecy over break. It was time, and Harry had proven this semester that he would be able to handle it. "Do you want to get some sleep?" he asked instead.

Harry shook his head again, quickly. "No, I don't think I could even if I wanted to. For one, I want to keep my shield up, and I doubt I could do that if I feel asleep. Also, I want to be there for Ron and the others for when we find out if their dad is alright."

Sirius nodded. He would have done the same if it were James's parents. "Alright, let's get you some coffee and check to see how they're doing."

Ginny was curled into a ball, no one could tell if she was asleep or not, Ron was staring into the fire, and the twins were pacing. All their drinks were still were he'd set them, and they were clearly forgotten. Sirius sent a quick warming charm to the mugs to keep the drinks hot, and sat down on the couch with Harry next to him.

No one spoke until they received a letter from Molly saying that she was at St. Mungo's, and would let them know something soon. Unfortunately, that only seemed to worry everyone more, and Harry retreated into himself, feeling guilty that he had made sure everyone was woken up. Without him, they would still be in bed.

It was a long night, but the Floo flared in the early morning hours, and Molly stepped out. Everyone stood quickly and looked at her apprehensively.

"He'll be alright," she said tiredly, and the atmosphere relaxed slightly. "They got to him just in time, and Dumbledore has found a cover story for why he was where he was," she said to Sirius, who nodded quickly.

"Why don't you all stay here for a few hours and get some rest," Sirius offered gently.

Molly shook her head. "We'll head back to the Burrow, but we can let you know when we'll head to St. Mungo's to visit him."

Sirius nodded. "That would be great, thank you," he said, looking sideways at Harry, who was sitting very still with a look of concentration.

"Thank you for letting them stay," Molly told Sirius, breaking his train of thought.

Sirius waved her off. "You've done the same for Harry, it's the least I can do. I'll see you all in a few hours?"

She nodded and led them through the Floo, and Sirius sat next to Harry. "What's up?"

"He's really angry. Something he wanted to happen hasn't happened. As soon as he ends his tantrum, I think I'll be able to risk going to bed for a bit."

Sirius nodded, feeling awful for Harry. "Would you like some tea?" he asked quietly, and when Harry nodded, he made his way into the kitchen. It was just like the last day of summer when Harry's neck had been healed. By the time he made it back into the kitchen, Harry looked relieved.

"Everything alright?" he asked, and smiled when Harry said yes. "Good. Now drink this and get some rest."

Harry looked at Sirius guiltily. "You could probably use some as well. I woke you up."

Sirius looked at him sternly. "I would have been upset if you hadn't, Harry James. That's what I'm here for, to help you when you need it. I'm glad you used the mirror as soon as you woke up."

Harry smiled at him as he drained the tea. "Then let's both get a few hours of shut eye, as we both need it."

Sirius grinned and they both went to their respective bedrooms and went to sleep.

* * *

**So, a few things about the chapter (as always, I don't want anyone to be confused). In HBP, they talked about how Voldemort had to be using Occlumency against Harry, which was why Harry hadn't been having visions or scar pains. This time, Harry was the one that realized it, rather than the adults, since it had taken them a while in canon.**

**Also, the shield around his cauldron. I can see Snape being legitimately upset about that. He's used to working with potions that are very sensitive around magic, and therefore doesn't like any active magic in his classroom. However, given that he hates Harry, he doesn't like that it was used, even in defense of Harry's potions.  
**

**I know I stole Arthur's attack from canon, but as nothing was ever really done about the prophecy, it seemed like it would still happen. We'll vary from cannon on the next chapter :-)  
**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey all, sorry about the wait, but the past week and a half has been insane! First, I crashed my car during a storm with a client in the car, I had 5 tests and 2 papers, missed a the funeral of a friend's father because I was sick from the accident, then I had a freaking root canal yesterday! Did I do something awful in a past life that would explain all of this to me?**

**Anyway, I'm glad you're all continuing to enjoy the story. I swear, no matter how much I write, it never seems to get closer to the ending of the story. Hopefully you all don't mind how long this monster is going to be.**

* * *

The two woke at surprisingly the same time only a few hours later, ate a nearly silent breakfast, and then received a fire call from Molly letting them know that Arthur was able to have visitors, and that they wanted Harry and Sirius to join them.

They dressed in record time, and Flooed over to the hospital, where they met with Molly, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny, who were looking about as tired as he felt. Harry greeted them quickly, and they made their way up to the room where Arthur was being treated.

Harry was surprised to hear voices coming from the room, and supposed that there were already visitors talking to him. He tried to hang back when Molly went to go inside, but she held onto his shoulder tightly. "Don't be silly, Harry. Arthur wants to thank you," she said with a weary smile.

Ron gave Harry a wry grin, and they all went into the room. Harry was surprised to see that Mad Eye was there, as well as a woman he'd never met before. She had spiky pink hair and had a restless energy that he could see, even though she was sitting down.

"Knock knock," Molly interrupted their conversation, which seemed to be heated. "How are you feeling Arthur?"

He smiled tightly at his wife, and his eyes swept their group to see who all was there, and Mad Eye was doing the same. The ex Auror relaxed, though only a fraction, when he was done with his scan, so Harry assumed that there were no masked Death Eaters ready to kill them. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling at an inappropriate time.

"I'm feeling much better," he said tightly, "just wish I could go home. The healers are working overtime trying to find an antidote for the poison, but nothing so far." Each of his kids came up and gave him a quick, but gentle, hug.

"Is there anything that we can do for you?" Sirius asked. Harry was surprised to see a slight coldness coming from his godfather, and it appeared to be directed at his former professor. It was nothing overt, but more of a feeling that he was getting.

Arthur was shaking his head. "No, I don't think so, but I'll let you know." Then he caught sight of Harry, and gave him a very intense look. "Thank you, son," he said. "I don't want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't alerted Sirius and Albus as quickly as you had. If you ever need anything, I want you to let me know."

Harry shifted slightly, uncomfortable with everyone's eyes on him. "It was nothing, really," he started to mumble, but Sirius's hand gripped his shoulder tightly, and he looked up at the older wizard, who shook his head with a serious expression on his face. He quickly changed his answer. "I was glad to help you with what I could. If anything comes up, I will be sure to call on you and your family," Harry answered, trying not to sound too formal, but he wasn't really sure what that look Sirius had given him was about.

Sirius just nodded at Harry, then realized something. "Harry Potter, meet Nymphadora Tonks," he introduced.

"Call me that again, Siri, I dare you," she snapped at him. Then she looked at Harry. "Just call me Tonks. It's nice to meet you finally."

"It's nice to meet you, too," Harry said, and gave Sirius a strange look.

Sirius chuckled at that. "Dora here is my younger cousin," he said quickly, and Harry nodded. They were standing a bit further from the bed, so that the family could get some time with their father.

Harry had been thinking, then started slightly. "Tonks," he mumbled, trying to remember where he had heard the name before. "Are you an Auror?"

Tonks giggled, but smiled proudly. "Sure am. Wasn't sure I'd make it, because I'm dead clumsy, and nearly failed Stealth and Tracking."

"Good thing your Concealment and Disguise score was so high, though you didn't have to do anything," he grumbled slightly.

Tonks grinned at him. "It's not my fault that your voice is too obvious, cousin, and you hadn't thought to change it!"

"Not all of us can change at will, you know," he retorted. Then he turned to Harry to explain. "Dora here…"

"Stop calling me that, _Siri,"_ she sent back, hair turning a deep red.

"Whoa!" Harry breathed, unsure if he was seeing things.

"Tonks is a Metamorphagus; means she can willingly change her appearance," Sirius explained.

Tonks smiled at his look, and gave him a quick show, changing her hair red, blond, brown, then black. She then cycled through eye color, nose size, and then hair length, until Harry was practically staring in a mirror.

"Wicked!" was all Harry could come up with. "Is there any way of learning how to do that?"

She changed her appearance back to normal. "Unfortunately, you have to be born with the ability. But there are potions and spells that you can use to change your appearance."

Harry filed that information away for later. "How long have you been an Auror?" he asked interestingly.

"Only a year or so," she answered. "Mad Eye over there never thought I'd make it through training, so I had to do it just to spite him."

"Maybe I just didn't want to see what would happen to your squad if you tripped during a mission," the man growled, walking over to them. "Black," he greeted.

"Alastor," Sirius said stiffly, and Harry knew that he hadn't been imagining things before.

"Bill and Sturgis will be here later. Are you staying for a while?"

Sirius shook his head. "There's a few things that we need to end up doing later today, so I can't stay. If you still need me later though, just send an owl. I'll respond quickly." Mad Eye just nodded at him and went back across the room.

Harry tried to stifle his yawn, but Sirius noticed, and gave him a quick smile. "Well, I think we'll give you guys some time alone," he told Molly and Arthur. "We'll be back to visit you in a day or two. Let us know if you need anything."

"Same to both of you," Arthur said, again with the intense look.

"Take care of yourselves," Harry told the group at large, and they returned the sentiment.

Sirius and Harry walked down the hallway and back through the Floo until they were back in their living room.

"Tea?" Harry asked, already going that way and putting the water to warm.

Sirius sighed. He knew that there were going to be a few questions now, and he might as well get it over with. "Sure, that sounds good," he answered, and they went about making their teas, until they were seated on the couch.

"So, what was the deal with Arthur?" Harry asked, going with the first thing that came to mind. "I mean, I don't want them to think that they're indebted to me, or anything."

Sirius bit back a groan at how little his godson still new about the Wizarding world, and set his mug down. "Harry, first of all, yes, he is indebted to you now." He raised a hand when Harry was about to protest. "Look, like it or not, you were pivotal in saving his life. If you hadn't seen what you had and informed Albus immediately, he would have died. That kind of action creates a magical bond between you and Arthur."

"What kind of bond?" Harry asked, really not liking where this was going.

"If it is within his power to help you, short of throwing himself in front of an Avada Kadavra for you, he will do it. Most people detest a bond like this one, but Arthur has the rare morality for a pureblood, and he saw fit to acknowledge it in front of both you, and your guardian."

"Will he have to sacrifice his life to save mine?" Harry demanded, not liking this idea at all.

Thankfully, Sirius shook his head. "Magical bonds are tricky. Anything that he can do to help you, as long as it does not harm himself or another _innocent_ person, he has to do, or risk losing his magic forever. As soon as magic decides that he has fulfilled his debt, he will be released."

Harry slumped down. This was too much, but it didn't sound like he had any choice in the matter. "I'll need to think on this," he muttered.

Sirius nodded at him. "Of course you will," he said, standing up. "Right now, though, I'd advise you to sleep on it. You're exhausted, and you need to get some rest."

Harry didn't bother fighting it, though he still had a couple questions, but decided that they could wait for later. He waved tiredly to Sirius, and walked up to his room.

Sirius watched him leave, and after a few minutes, he firecalled Remus to tell him what happened. Thankfully, Albus had already informed the staff members of the Order earlier that morning, so Sirius asked him if he'd be willing to come over, just in case Harry woke up. When asked what he was going to do, Sirius dodged the question. He had another issue altogether to deal with, though he hoped it wouldn't take too long.

* * *

When Harry woke up, he looked around and was surprised to see that it was already late afternoon. He dressed hurriedly and made his way to the kitchen.

"Remus!" he said in surprise, seeing the professor sitting at the table eating a sandwich.

"Hello, Harry," he greeted. "Sirius had to step out for a bit, but he should be back soon."

Harry nodded and made himself a late lunch. "Where did he go?"

"He needed to talk with the headmaster about something," Remus started to say, but he was interrupted by the Floo, and they were both shocked when Dumbledore and Sirius stepped through.

"How are you feeling?" was the first thing Sirius said when he saw Harry eating.

"Well rested," Harry reassured his godfather. Then he looked apprehensively at Dumbledore. "What's going on?"

Sirius took a moment to glare at the older man. "There's something that we need to talk about, Harry," he said seriously. "It's rather hard to explain, and I was bound by an oath not to tell you about it, or I would have during the summer."

"Sirius," Albus said tiredly, but Sirius turned to him.

"You've had ample opportunity to tell him," he spat. "I'll let you do some of the talking, especially the exact wording since I don't know it." He gestured to everyone to have a seat at the table, but Remus moved a bit further away, out of sight, but still able to hear what was said.

Harry was looking wide eyed between them, unsure what was going on. He hadn't heard Sirius use that tone since he'd picked Harry up at the Dursley's. "I'm confused. The exact wording of what?"

Sirius sighed. "There was a prophecy that was made shortly before you were born. This prophecy is about the end of Voldemort, and there is a room at the Ministry that contains every prophecy ever made."

"That's the room I've been dreaming about since this summer," Harry said, realization dawning on him.

"Exactly," Sirius told him. "That is what Arthur was doing at the Ministry. The Order has been keeping guard over the prophecy so that Voldemort does not get it."

"How does this concern me?" Harry asked.

Sirius turned to Dumbledore. "Your turn."

Dumbledore sighed heavily and sat, pulling out his Pensieve and enlarging it. "As Sirius told you, the prophecy was made before you were born. It was made to me, therefore I have a copy of it in my memory. It concerns you because Voldemort heard the first part of it and acted accordingly." He tapped the side of the Pensieve and the image of Professor Trelawny rose from it.

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who will thrice defy him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have powers the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives… The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…." _

Harry stared in shock as the figure fell back into the Pensieve. "That's why," he whispered. "That's why he tried to kill me all those years ago, and why he's tried so many times since."

Dumbledore looked like he was about to say something, but Sirius waved at him to be quiet. He knew that Harry would need some time to think things through. After all, it wasn't everyday you learned that it was foretold that you had to face the most feared man in the world. In truth, Sirius wasn't surprised. When Albus had told him of the prophecy, he had deduced its contents, but it was still a kick in the stomach to learn the truth.

Remus was still in the room, but clearly forgotten. He knew that he should have left when they started talking, but he found himself drawn in. When he heard the prophecy, he felt his blood freeze. The notion that his honorary godson would have to be the one to defeat Voldemort was terrifying.

Harry was busy assimilating everything that had happened to him over his lifetime, and found that everything made so much more sense now. It was stupid to think that Voldemort was always after him for revenge or a broken ego, or whatever had entered his mind. It was to prevent a prophecy from coming true. Now Harry remembered the conversation he'd had in first year in the Hospital Wing with Dumbledore.

"I asked you four years ago why he came after me," Harry reminded Albus. "Why have you waited so long to tell me this? I'm guessing that you don't want to be telling me now, but Sirius forced you to."

Albus was shocked. He had been expecting fear, hysteria, anger, but not the grim determination that was in the teen's green eyes. "I thought you were too young to hear it. This is a terrible burden to bear, young Harry. I wanted to give you the chance to grow up without this hanging over you."

Harry couldn't help the humorless chuckle. "Headmaster, no offence, but that idea should have been blown to bits over the past few years. I've rescued the Sorcerer's Stone at age 11, saved a fellow student and killed a basilisk at 12, conjured a corporeal patronus and saved the lives of a friend and my godfather at 13, been forced to participate in a Tournament that I did not enter, a Tournament that nearly killed me several times over and forced me to watch the resurrection of my oldest foe and the murder of yet another fellow student at 14. Now in the past few months I've been kidnapped by Death Eaters and tortured, then forced to mutilate myself by a member of your staff. Since when have I been a normal boy?" he demanded. "I don't feel like delving into my life before Hogwarts, but suffice it to say that I had to grow up the night that Voldemort failed to kill me."

Sirius beamed in pride. It was similar to what he'd told the Headmaster, but Harry's speech was so much better worded. He kept his mouth shut, knowing that Harry wasn't finished yet.

"Yes, this is a burden, one that I wouldn't wish on anyone else. However, I will carry it and do what I can."

This time, Sirius did step in. "You'll have help, Harry," he told him seriously. "We'll talk about this a bit more later on tonight, but whatever comes to pass, know that I'll be there with you."

Albus was stunned. He had not expected this reaction from anyone. Knowing that his presence wasn't desired at the moment, he shrank the Pensieve and stood. "If you have any questions, Mr. Potter, feel free to let me know. I wish to assist you in any way that I can." When he received a nod, he Flooed back to his office.

Harry was staring at the tabletop; his mind swimming. A part of him was thinking about all the work he'd been doing, and how it didn't seem to be enough now. He was thinking about how he'd have to step up everything and learn as much as he could in a very short amount of time. But the majority of him was filled with despair. How could he, a mere 15 year old, defeat one of the most powerful wizards in history when anyone who had stood up against him had been killed? He felt dread filling him, and he was completely unaware of everything around him as he contemplated all the ways he could die.

Sirius looked at his godson, then looked up at his best friend. Remus was looking lost, thinking many of the same things that Harry was. Sirius stood and took Remus into another room, putting a privacy ward around them. "What are you thinking, Moony?"

Remus raked a hand through his graying hair. "Merlin, I should be the one asking you that! How can you be taking this so calmly?"

Sirius sat heavily on a chair. "I'm putting up a brave face for Harry," he admitted, his hands shaking slightly as his walls came down. "I guessed the contents of the prophecy a while ago, but to have it confirmed? I'm terrified that I'm going to lose him."

Remus grabbed his friend's shoulder. "I know. I'm worried, too. But I know that both of us are going to be doing everything we can for that boy in there. Let's go see how he's doing," he said, trying to put more strength into his voice than he was feeling.

Sirius wasn't fooled. "Want to talk about this later?"

Remus nodded, and they took down the ward and went back into the kitchen, where Harry hadn't moved a muscle since they'd left. Sirius sat down next to him, and took a hold of his chin to look him in the eyes. He was struck dumb by the multitude of emotions he saw swimming there. "What are you thinking?" he asked quietly.

Harry sighed, bending down to put his face in his hands. "I can only have one thought?" he tried to joke, but it fell flat.

"Of course not," Sirius told him. "Just start talking; I want to know what's going on in that head of yours."

Harry took a moment to think. "Part of me is angry with Dumbledore," he confessed quietly, his voice muffled by his hands. "I mean, he had so many times that he could have told me about the damn prophecy, but he didn't. I could be so much further if he had told me about this before!"

"I agree," Sirius said, as calm as he could manage. "That was why I taught you Occlumency over the summer, to try and convince him to tell you. He refused, saying that you deserved the chance to have a childhood."

Harry looked up to stare at his godfather, then burst into nearly hysterical laughter. However, tears started streaming from his eyes at the ridiculousness of that idea. After a few minutes, he realized that he was scaring Sirius and Remus, so he calmed down, wiping the moisture from his face. "That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard in my life," he spat. "How on earth could I have enjoyed my childhood growing up with the Dursleys?"

Sirius nodded. "I tried to tell Albus that, but he would not listen to me."

Harry looked up at him. "How did you convince him to tell me today if he's been fighting you on it for so long?"

Sirius gave a small smile. "It was certainly not the first conversation we've had on the subject. But after what happened last night, I knew that you needed and deserved to know the truth. All of the truth. This afternoon I told him that if he didn't tell you, then I would tell you what I knew, and that I would stop working for the Order, pull you from Hogwarts, and that we would leave Britain. It's not the first time I've used that threat, but it's the last time. I'm sick of his games."

Harry and Remus stared at him. "Was that just a threat, or would you really have done that?" Harry asked him.

Sirius looked at him seriously. "I would have done it," he said firmly. "Of course, I would never pull you from Hogwarts if you truly wanted to stay, but this is your safety. That is my first priority, and it always will be."

Harry felt the conviction in his words, and felt his eyes fill. He had never had an adult that was so firmly on his side, and he found he quite liked the feeling. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and croaked out, "Thank you."

Sirius smiled sadly at him. "Of course. What else are you thinking?"

Harry sighed. "Part of me wonders how on earth I can defeat him when no one else has been able to. I mean, it was because of my mum that he was vanquished the first time!"

The room was quite for a while as they all thought that. Then Sirius decided on the truth. "I don't know, Harry. But like I said before, you won't be going through it alone, you hear me?" He made sure that Harry was looking at him. "I'll be with you the whole way."

"Don't think I'll be sitting on the sidelines," Remus put in. "You're stuck with me as well."

Harry really had to hold back the emotions that were threatening to overcome him. He fought to keep his mind from clouding, he needed to think logically, but he really couldn't.

Sirius noticed this. "One last thing, then we'll take some time to relax. Do you plan on letting anyone else know? Maybe Ron and Hermione?"

Harry shook his head vehemently. "No; at least, not yet. This was serious enough for Arthur to get hurt for protecting, and something that Dumbledore fought for so long to tell me. I won't put them in danger if I don't have to."

Sirius nodded. He had figured as much. "Alright, I can understand that. Just know that if you decide to tell them, I'll be there if you need me."

Harry nodded in thanks, then thought. "Can we go back to Hogwarts?" he asked suddenly.

Sirius looked confused at the abrupt change in topic. "Why?"

"Well for one, I can't do magic here, so I need to blow off some steam. For another, I don't have any of my things here."

Sirius nodded, thinking. "Are you wanting to stay there for all of break?"

Harry bit his lip. "I really want to spend time with you, and I know that I need to spend time with you before term starts…"

"Then I'll stay there with you," Sirius decided. When he saw the gobsmacked looked, he smiled. "You really think that I would say no to the house elves cooking?"

Remus chuckled. He knew Sirius's stomach. "What about the Weasleys?"

Harry frowned, suddenly unsure. He knew that Ron would need support this week. But Sirius made up his mind for him. "I'll let Molly know that we'll be at the castle for break, and I'll convince Albus to let you visit them whenever."

Harry looked at him in gratitude. "It's not that I don't want to spend the hols here…" he started to explain.

Sirius interrupted again. "You want to train," he finished. "I understand, Harry. Just let me pack a few things, then we can go. You can go start while I meet with Albus about a room for me, and then I'll meet up with you. You'll be on the seventh floor?"

Harry nodded and stood. "Thanks again," he said, giving the man a large hug. He was so lucky to have him as a godfather.

* * *

An hour later, Harry found himself in the Room of Requirement, working on his wandless magic. Since he had managed to get all of the spells through fourth year finished, he was no working on the spells he had learned so far in fifth year.

He had received a few strange looks when he and Sirius had arrived, as everyone had known how excited he was to be gone for break. He ignored them, though, and focused on what he wanted to work on over break.

The time delay feature on the Room was never as useful before as it was now. His two weeks of break were greatly expanded now. He knew that Sirius would object to him staying there for his entire break, but it would still be almost a month now.

He had been at work for several hours and was nearly finished with the fifth year spells he'd learned so far when the door opened and Sirius walked in. Harry thought of two armchairs and they appeared.

Sirius shook his head, amused. "I don't think I'll get used to this room any time soon."

Harry laughed, though it was strained. "It just takes time. How did it go with Dumbledore?"

Sirius sighed. "He's not thrilled, to tell you the truth. He understands why you want to be here to practice, but doesn't like that we'll be coming and going when we need to. He's also worried that you're going to lose it since we told you."

Harry grimaced. "I'm not sure that I won't," he said honestly. "But I have you here to keep me going."

Sirius laughed. "You've got that right. What were you working on?"

"I was practicing the spells I've learned this year, but wandlessly. I think tomorrow I'll work some more on nonverbal spells."

Sirius shook his head. "I still can't believe that you are able to do both. I thought your mum and dad were powerful, but you put them to shame!"

Harry bowed his head. His emotions were all over the place, especially the last twenty four hours, and he sighed. "Did he give you a room?"

"Yeah, and it's not far from the Gryffindor Tower, so I'll be there if you need me." He was able to tell that Harry was getting a bit antsy. "Want to show me what you've been doing so far?"

So they stayed in the Room for a bit longer until Sirius realized that it was past dinner time, and he called them to a halt, insisting that they go to the kitchens for some food. Once they had eaten their full, Sirius could tell that Harry was having trouble keeping his eyes open, so he led him to his own rooms, and they crashed hard.

When Harry woke up, he was confused as to where he was. Then he remembered that he had nearly fallen asleep during supper and that Sirius had taken him to his own room. He stood and stretched to get the kinks out of his back, and changed into his clothes as quietly as he could. He knew that it was still early, and didn't want to wake Sirius. Luckily, he had quite a bit of practice with moving around silently.

He knew that breakfast wasn't going to be served for another two hours or so, so he made his way to the Room and pulled out the theory book he'd been reading. He had just gotten to a section that explained how physical health improves your magical core. He was intrigued, and concentrated.

It turns out that your core is tied to your body as well as your mind. There were tips on eating healthy and what foods to avoid. It also went on to explain about exercise, which helps with reflexes and muscle tone, both of which are required for longer and more intense duels.

Harry was amazed. Since entering the Wizarding world, he never thought about things like this. Wizards had ways of travel that took no physical effort: brooms, Floo, apparition, and portkeys. While flying did take some physical fitness, the others did not.

He was so entranced by what he was reading that he didn't hear the door open, or see his godfather until he spoke up from behind him. "You nearly scared me out of my wits this morning, Harry."

Harry jumped out of his chair, ready to curse whoever it was until he recognized Sirius. He put a hand on his chest to slow his heartrate. "Don't do that to me!" he gasped, sitting back down and picking up the book he'd dropped.

Sirius grinned. "Sorry, couldn't help it. But seriously, I woke up and had no idea where you went."

Harry sighed. "Sorry about that. I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd get some reading in before breakfast."

Sirius waved him off. "No problem, just leave a note next time." He looked around for another chair, and one appeared in front of him. He smiled and sat down. "What are you reading?"

Harry held out the book for his godfather to take. "I found it here at the start of term. It's fascinating, and I've never found anything so detailed in magical theory."

Sirius took the book and looked at the cover. He nearly had a heart attack right then. _An In-Depth Understanding of Magic: its History, Applications, and Risks _by _Charlus Potter and Dorea Black._

Harry looked with concern at Sirius, who had paled considerably. "Sirius, what is it?" he asked.

Sirius swallowed the lump in his throat. "Did you ever look and see who the author of this book is?"

Harry shook his head, thinking about it. "No, I don't think so. Why?"

Sirius handed him the book back, and watched as Harry had a nearly identical reaction. "Those are you grandparents, Harry."

Harry was suddenly having trouble breathing. Was it really possible that his family was helping him still, from beyond this life?

Sirius could tell that Harry wasn't up for talking just yet. "I remember them doing a lot of research throughout the years, and they had published a few books together before they had gotten married." He took the book back and checked the date on it, and did a double take. He flipped through the book a few times, and seemed to be in shock.

Harry was worried. "Sirius?" he called, waving his hand in front of Sirius's face. "What's going on?"

Sirius finally looked up at him. "This book was technically never published," he mumbled. "It would have come out the year they died. I remember they finished up a book they had been working on; it had been taking a lot of time to get all the information, and they were so pleased that it was finished. Then two weeks later, they were killed during a battle. I just don't understand how this ended up…"

Harry shook his head. He didn't understand either. If the book had never been published, then how was he able to get it, especially in book form? Harry stroked the book reverently. "They've helped me so much," he whispered.

Sirius smiled sadly at him. "They were wonderful people, and I know for a fact that they would be thrilled that you were learning from them."

Harry just nodded, too choked up to speak again. He had never given much thought to his grandparents, but it was amazing to think that they had helped him as much as they had. He opened it again to the section that he had been reading and handed it back to the older wizard.

Sirius took a look at it and burst out laughing. "Well, that explains why Dorea was so insistent on us eating healthy when we stayed there." He saw Harry looking eagerly at him, and he smiled. For the next hour, he told Harry stories about his grandparents.

After a while, Harry's stomach rumbled, and Sirius chuckled. "Alright, let's go get some food, pup. Then I want to see your form, since the last time wasn't under the best conditions."

Harry laughed. "Very true."

So they went down to the Great Hall and Harry was shocked to find Hermione sitting at the Gryffindor table. So the two wizards went to sit with her. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going skiing with your parents?"

Hermione gave him a small smile. "Skiing isn't really my thing. Plus, Professor McGonagall told me about Mr. Weasley, and I chose to stay here instead."

Harry nodded understandingly. "I think we'll be going to visit him later on," he said questioningly, sending a look to Sirius.

He nodded. "I'll Floo Molly and see when they are going," he promised.

Then it was Hermione's turn to look confused at Harry. "I thought you two were leaving during break?" she asked.

Harry looked down. He really didn't want to explain about the prophecy to her just yet, especially not in the Great Hall where anyone could overhear.

Sirius stepped in. "As Harry can't do magic out of Hogwarts, and with OWLs coming up, I figured it would be better if we stayed here for break," he said smoothly, giving part of the truth.

Harry started. Though the OWLs had been on his mind constantly over the past term, he hadn't given them a single thought in 36 hours. In fact, he had completely forgotten about them.

Hermione beamed, though, and got excited. "Do you think you could go over Runes with me?" she asked quickly. "You helped Harry out so much this summer, and he's nearly top of the class!"

Harry groaned. "You know I'm not, Hermione, don't exaggerate. Anthony is top, and you're right behind him."

Sirius grinned and decided to intervene before they could argue further. "I'd be happy to help," he said sincerely.

After breakfast, the two wizards excused themselves from the witch and made their way back to the Room. Sirius turned to look at Harry expectantly. "Come on, pup!" he said eagerly.

Harry grinned. He closed his eyes and brought forth his magic, transforming quickly into his wolf form.

Sirius stared at him. He had only seen Harry's form once, and that was after he'd been tortured for hours. He took time now to look and admire his godson's form. Without another thought, he transformed into Padfoot.

Harry immediately felt some of the loneliness leave him. One of his pack was here at last. He crouched down and pounced onto Padfoot.

Sirius fell to the ground and leapt back up. The two then spent some time wrestling before calming down. They both transformed back into their human forms.

"That was so much fun!" Harry enthused.

Sirius grinned. "I'm glad you had a good time."

Harry nodded. "It's so much different with another animal there. It was like a part of me was missing when I was alone."

Sirius frowned. "That makes sense, because you're a pack animal. Does it get any better?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. It was horrible the first time, but it's better now. I guess it just took getting used to." He started thinking about it, and grinned.

Sirius groaned. "That look from a Potter only means trouble," he grumbled good naturedly. "What death defying stunt have you thought up now?"

"Want to go for a run in the forest?" Harry offered.

Sirius grinned. As far as Harry's ideas went, that wasn't a bad one. "Sounds good. Let's go!"

* * *

**So, Harry now knows the prophecy! Like I said, I wasn't going to take as long as canon with it. Now, I know it might seem like I'm bashing Dumbledore right now, and maybe a hair. He's not going to be evil or anything, but you can see why Sirius would have a problem with the whole 'let him have a childhood' argument. He'll be back in good graces later.**


	21. Chapter 21

**So, I have no idea what happened last week with the update. I'm guessing it wasn't just my update that was screwy, but I'm not sure. Thank you for the patience in waiting for ff to get back to me about the issue.**

**A couple warnings with this chapter: there will be emotions (it's Christmas, come on!), and a bit of character development for a few characters that I'm not sure everyone is going to agree with. Give it a shot :-)**

* * *

Thanks to the time delay feature on the Room, break was quite a bit longer than usual, though it had never felt shorter. Every day Harry spent several hours in there, either reading or training. Thanks to the suggestions that he found in the book, he had started training physically as well. Most mornings found Harry running around the pitch and doing exercises that helped with his endurance and agility.

Sirius and Remus helped quite a bit when Harry was struggling with a spell that he hadn't learned yet. He was working ahead in Charms and Transfiguration, focusing on spells that would help him in duels, not that he would be ready to use them in that situation yet. He had learned over the summer that you only use spells that you know quite well during a duel, or risk making a serious mistake.

During the first week, Sirius recruited Remus to help with the Occlumency. "It's a lot harder when there are two attacks at once," Sirius told Harry seriously. "If you can't keep us out, that's fine, don't worry. I just thought this might be even better, because let's face it: Voldemort is a much better Legilimens than I am."

Harry nodded jerkily, though he was worried. He had never really told Remus anything about his past, Dursley or Hogwarts. Then he shook his head. If he was going to keep Voldemort out when the time came, he needed all the training he could get. "Alright, let's go for it."

Both wizards cast the spell, and Harry fought tooth and nail to keep his shields up, but it was hard to keep an eye on both of the invaders at the same time. After only a few minutes, Harry felt his shield fall and bit back a curse. At least he still had his 'bank vaults'. Sirius attacked one, and Remus another. Remus got through one first, but thankfully it was only his 'vault' of memories from classes. As soon as the images flooded them, the adults pulled back out as Harry dropped to his knees painfully.

"Again," he gritted out, ignoring their concerned looks.

They cast together again, and he kept the outer shield up a bit longer that time, but it did fall eventually. Thankfully, only Sirius had managed to get through another shield before Harry forced both of them out and rebuilt them.

"Nice!" Sirius yelled, then kicked himself when he saw Harry wince in pain. "You alright, kiddo?"

"Headache," came the answer. After a minute, he looked up. "Again."

Every day for the rest of the week, Harry, Sirius and Remus met up to work on Occlumency. Harry still spent the majority of his time reading or training, but Sirius made sure to be there often enough to keep him from losing it. It was similar to their time in France, that there was something fun nearly every day. For the most part, they ran around the forest in their canine forms, which Harry enjoyed immensely.

The night before Christmas Sirius asked Harry if he wanted to stay in his rooms, which Harry agreed to quickly. They spent their time laughing as Sirius told him about their sixth year Christmas at the Potter's and the trouble he and James had gotten into. Sirius smiled when Harry fell asleep at his seat by the fire and carried him to a spare bed.

* * *

Christmas morning, Sirius woke to a wonderful smell and threw on his robe to see what it was. He stood there, stunned when he saw the mini feast that was prepared.

Harry stood there, a bit nervous. When he had offered to cook, the house elves looked like he'd mortally offended them, so he asked if they would like to help. "It wasn't all me, but I hadn't gotten the chance to cook for you in a while, so I thought I would today."

Sirius gave him a hug. "It looks great, pup, thank you," he said meaningfully, and they sat down to eat.

Once the table was nearly cleared, they grabbed their gifts and brought them by the fire to open. Harry started with Ron's, which turned out to be a poster of Puddlemere United: the Quidditch team that Harry followed ever since Oliver joined them. He grinned when he saw Oliver himself grinning next to the other players, and Harry felt a certain amount of pride; this was the captain that had nurtured Harry's love for the game. The gift from the twins was 4 swamp kits and the 'Faux Reducto' armbands that Harry had suggested. When Sirius asked, he explained.

"That's brilliant!" Sirius enthused. "I can't believe no one else ever thought of that! Of course," he continued with a grin, "not everyone had their minds, including the Marauders."

Mrs. Weasley had sent her usual knitted sweater and fudge with a note saying they were going to release Arthur the next day and that he was welcome over for the celebration. Ginny had given him a book on famous leaders and their methods. Sirius had to jokingly pull the book away from him to keep him from devouring it right away. Hermione had sent a book about Arithmancy and its uses in creating spells, which Harry was nearly as excited about as his book from Ginny.

Blaise had given him a set of vials of various sizes for potions with a note asking when they wanted to start brewing again. Susan had given him yet another book about Wizarding laws that her aunt had suggested. Anthony had bought him a few things that they could practice Runes on, including two kinds of wood, a small plane of glass, and a piece of fabric, which was said to be difficult to work with because the Runes needed to be stitched, not carved.

"What's all that about?" Sirius asked suspiciously.

Harry explained about their experiment with engraving Runes. At first, Sirius was upset that they had done it without a teacher's supervision, but he was thrilled with his godson's success. He also had a glint in his eyes that Harry was suspicious of, but he decided to worry about it later.

The next one that Harry picked up was a letter in a script he thought he recognized, but wasn't sure. With the letter was an invitation to a dueling competition during his spring break. Harry stared at it for a moment before passing it to Sirius and reading the letter.

_Mr. Potter,_

_To say that I've been impressed this past term with your work would be an understatement. In addition, you duel with Mr. Zabini during your final DA meeting was impressive. I have spoken with a few old contacts from my dueling days, and have convinced one of them to include you in the tournament later in the term. You will find the invitation included. I wish you the best of luck._

_In warm regards,_

_Professor Flitwick. _

Harry was flabbergasted. He never would have thought that his sponsor would do this for him, and he was feeling very humbled. He turned to Sirius and passed him the letter as well.

Sirius read through it quickly and smiled. "The only person I knew of who ever received a letter for Christmas from him was your mother." He smiled sadly at Harry's suddenly wet eyes. "Though he's a wonderful man, he is very hard to impress, and you seem to have done it. I'm so proud of you."

Harry swallowed past the lump in his throat. "You think I'd do alright at the tournament?" he asked.

Sirius barked a laugh. "Kiddo, I can barely hold my own against you, and I've seen you take three of those dummies that are all at Auror in training. You'll do great."

Harry's fear turned to excitement. He turned back to his gift opening. There were only two left. Remus had sent him a set of books entitled **Practical Defensive Magic and its Use Against the Dark Arts**. Harry thumbed through them, thinking they would be great for the DA meetings.

The last one was Sirius's. There was a box, two books, and a folder of files. Sirius pointed to the box first. Harry unwrapped it to find a full set of engraving tools. Harry stared at it, then looked up at Sirius.

"I was going to show you during break, but you've already had experience," he said with a smirk on his face. "Feel free to ask me if you have any questions, though."

Harry nodded, then picked up the books. He unwrapped them to find a set of Potions journals. His brows dramatically rose when he saw that they belonged to his mother. He looked at Sirius with incredulity.

"I told you she was amazing at Potions," Sirius reminded him. "She worked on these during our seventh year and after the wedding. I found them in the vault, and figured you should have them. There's a few of the ideas she had for new potions that she never got to finish, plus corrections for some of the more difficult ones."

Harry unwrapped the last book, and laughed out loud when he saw that it was the Marauder Book of Pranks. Sirius warned him that a Marauder was now his teacher, so to be careful with what pranks he pulled. Harry grinned and agreed to keep a low profile as he flipped through it, finding it to be a record of all the 'successful' pranks that they had pulled over the years.

Harry finally picked up the folder. He was about to open it when Sirius stopped him. He looked up curiously, to find Sirius pale and nervous looking.

"Harry, if you don't want this, I will understand. It's just an offer, and I won't be upset with you if you tell me no," he said, no trace of humor on his face.

Harry opened the folder with shaking hands and found a lot of official looking documents. It took a moment of reading to realize what they were. Adoption papers. He looked up in amazement, too stunned to say anything.

Sirius was getting more nervous, so he did was he always did when he felt that way: ramble. "I understand that this is a huge presumption on my part. Not to mention, you'll be coming of age in a year and a half. I certainly don't want to make you forget your real father; James would come back to kick my butt if I did. I was just thinking that this way you would always have a parent with you, not that I…"

Harry stopped him with a frantic wave of his hand. He looked at the papers again, then back at Sirius, and back at the papers. Once his mind had caught up with his racing heart, he looked back at Sirius. "You really want me to be your son?" he demanded hoarsely.

Sirius bit his lip. "More than anything in the world," he said honestly.

Harry gently set the papers down and threw himself at Sirius. "Yes," he breathed, and held on for all he was worth.

Sirius held the trembling boy, but he was shaking as well. He had expected a lot of reactions, but this wasn't one of them. He held on as tightly as he could, and eventually they both sat back, Harry wiping the tears from his face. "Can I still call you Sirius?" he asked, looking at his hands.

Sirius gripped the boy's chin and forced him to look him in the eyes. "You can call me anything you want, Harry," he said seriously. "This won't change much, and certainly not anything between us. After everything that's happened since I was freed, all I know is that I want you to be my son."

Harry didn't even try to stop the tears this time. After all the years of abuse he had endured growing up, he thought that having a godfather was the best thing in the world. Having that godfather love him back was more than he thought he'd ever get. However, for said godfather to say those magic words 'I want you to be my son' caused the little orphaned boy that was still in the world weary teen to bawl with happiness. "I'm sure that James would be thrilled," he croaked. He didn't want to use the word dad, though the thought was just confusing right now. Of course, he wasn't ready to use it for Sirius yet, but the truth was, he was now Harry's father. Well, almost.

Harry grabbed the papers and a quill. When he saw the one that came with the papers, though, he blanched.

Sirius stopped him. "The Ministry requires it unless we go there to sign them. It's your choice, I just wanted to save you from the press mobbing you just yet."

Harry nodded at the wisdom and shook off the negative thoughts. "It's just a few signatures," he said bravely. Then he thought for a moment. While he truly loved Sirius as a father, was he ready to give up his Potter name?

Sirius saw the problem immediately, and had a solution ready. "If you want," he offered quietly. "You could use a hyphenate. You could go by Potter-Black."

Harry grinned at the idea and nodded. "That sounds great." He signed his name four times, trying not to wince as the Blood Quill cut his hand.

When he laid the quill down, Sirius was ready with a cloth soaked in Murtlap essence. "This should help," he said, quickly wrapping the hand. He smiled when he saw Harry relax in relief.

Harry grinned at him. "This was the best gift you could have given me."

Sirius shook his head, but retained his happy nature. "On the contrary, I think it was yours to me."

"How about you agree to disagree," Remus said from the doorway, a happy look on his face. He smiled wider when Harry ran to him and gave him a hug. "Congratulations, Harry Potter-Black," he whispered in the boy's ear.

Harry pulled back and told him thanks, then motioned to Sirius to open his own gifts. Remus and Tonks had given him a cloak made from dragon hide, so it was resistant to most curses. Hermione had sent him a coupon for a book at Flourish and Blotts and a note thanking him for his time.

Harry looked at him curiously. "What did she mean?"

Sirius laughed. "With how busy you've been in the Room lately, I was giving her some help with Runes. She's quite brilliant at them."

The Weasleys had given him a box of sweets, a set of pranks from the twins, and his own Weasley sweater, which he smiled at when Harry told him that meant he was now part of their extended family.

He got to Harry's gift and paused. He caught Harry's nervous look and sent him a reassuring smile. He opened it carefully and found a leather bound album. With trembling hands, he opened it. There were a few pictures of Harry growing up – they looked like Muggle school pictures. Then came the moving pictures from his years at Hogwarts. He felt something at the very end, and flipped past several pages, making a mental note to look at them later, and found a few vials tucked on the last page. He looked up curiously.

"They're the memories I use to fuel my Patronus," Harry said quietly. "I know you've seen a lot, but they've mostly been bad ones, and I wanted to show you some of my favorites. The recent pictures were taken by a Gryffindor a year younger than me who loves photography."

Sirius stared at the book. It was one of his biggest regrets that he hadn't been there for Harry growing up, and that he had missed so much. He had seen Harry nearly every day for the first year before they went into hiding, then only a few times third and fourth year.

He looked back up at Harry, who was looking pale and nervous about his reaction to the gift. He gently set the album down and gave him a tight hug. "You couldn't have given me a better gift," he told him quietly.

Harry smiled. He'd hoped that Sirius would like it, but he hadn't been sure. Then he looked up at Remus. "Thank you for the books," he said meaningfully. "They'll be great for the DA."

Remus smiled. "Not a problem. Thank you for the wand holster, it's wonderful." Then he turned to glare at Sirius. "And the charm was completely unnecessary, you know."

Sirius barked another laugh. "It was and you know it." Seeing Harry's confused look, he elaborated. "Tonks and I pitched in to get Remus a new set of robes and a couple shoes. We charmed them so that only he could wear them and couldn't give some of them back."

Remus spluttered. "It wasn't a few robes. It was a new wardrobe!"

Harry was clutching his stomach laughing at them bicker. Sirius smiled, as he loved seeing his godson-his son- in such high spirits. "Moony always had a hard time accepting gifts," he mock whispered.

Harry laughed at the now red Remus, but decided to take pity on him and change the topic. He hid a grin as he thought of what to do. He transformed and tackled Remus to the floor. Remus groaned, shoving the wolf off of him. "I thought one mutt was bad enough," he teased.

Harry crouched low and growled. Remus remained unfazed. "Please, Sirius would do that all the time," he said. Then Sirius transformed into Padfoot and joined his son in growling at his friend.

Remus laughed long and hard at the sight, not quite the reaction they were going for. "You really do look like family there," he told them softly.

Still in their forms, the two canines exchanged a look, then tackled Remus to the ground and started licking him all over his face and neck.

"Alright you mangy mutts, get off me!" Remus yelled, but was grinning.

The two Animagi transformed back, laughing hysterically. Remus tried to glare at them, but he couldn't hold it for long, and ended up chuckling himself.

Harry looked at the time, and was shocked to see that it was nearly time for lunch. "You guys want to head to the Great Hall early?" he asked.

When they both nodded, all three left the and made their way to the meal, enjoying the sight of the Hall's decorations. Harry was about to head over to the Gryffindor table as he'd been doing over break, but then he realized for the first time that there was only one person at the Slytherin table. "I'm going to sit over there," Harry told them, pointing.

Sirius looked at the lone figure and frowned, but nodded. "Go for it."

Harry just nodded and walked over. "Hey, Nott, mind if I join you?" Harry asked.

Theodore Nott looked up him them and shrugged half heartedly. "Why not."

Harry's frown deepened. He had gotten to know Theo, as the Slytherin was Blaise's good friend, and not one of Malfoy's cronies. This apathetic Theodore was new, and it made Harry slightly nervous.

He stayed quiet for a while though, and both wizards started eating quietly. "Did Blaise go home for break?" Harry asked, realizing that he didn't know.

Theo shrugged again. "He hadn't planned on it, but he got sick after the last DA meeting and his mother insisted. He hadn't wanted to, since she just got married again and he doesn't like the guy, but it's hard to say no to her."

Harry nodded, and they went back to eating. It was a tactic that Sirius had used against him on more than one occasion: stay quiet and wait for the other person to say what was on their minds. It worked on Harry more often than not, and he was going to try it against Nott.

Sure enough, as they were finishing up their second helpings of the meal, he spoke up. "Why have you been sitting with us?" he demanded.

Harry looked up from his plate. "A few reasons," he admitted. "At first it was just to make the DA go smoother if I knew a few people from other houses. Then I got to know quite a few more people, and realized how much I could learn by getting to know more students."

"But why the Slytherins?" Nott continued.

Harry stared at him. "Did you not listen to my speech on the first day of the DA?"

Nott shrugged. "I figured you said that just so there would be no fights. You've certainly never shown any desire to get to know us before."

Harry felt a bit bad. "That's because I thought the same thing that a lot of Gryffindors do, that you're all evil. It wasn't until I started thinking about it logically that I realized how ridiculous it was to think that."

"But look at our families!" Nott said louder, not realizing that a certain adult across the room was looking at him sadly. "So many of our families are Death Eaters, and so many of us are expected to become that when we graduate, it not sooner! Our house has turned out more Death Eaters than any other two combined!" he cried, nearly hysterical.

Harry bit his lip, knowing that he needed to calm down the Slytherin, but not knowing how. He decided to go again with logic, as it seemed to have worked in the past. "I think that's more a self fulfilling prophecy than anything," he said honestly, and Nott looked at him, confused, and beginning to calm down.

"How do you mean?" he asked.

Glad that he had the other boy's attention, Harry continued. "I mean, everyone in this school has held to the belief that Slytherin pumps out Death Eaters, and has been thinking that for fifty years at least! So we shun you, and you have nowhere else to turn but to what we assumed you were all along."

Nott put his elbows on the table and his head in his hands, pulling on his hair.

Harry was getting truly concerned. "What's going on, Theo?" he asked, using the teen's nickname in hopes that it would help the boy open up a bit more.

Nott kept his head down. "I turn 16 next week. I was supposed to go home during break to receive my Mark and join the Dark Lord. But I don't know if that's what I want anymore," he whispered. "Blaise has been great, letting me know that he's behind me either way, but I would be the first person in my family to refuse service to the Dark Lord. I would be disowned. Though if I join, I could die. I've been thinking a lot about this ever since I joined the DA, but I have no idea what I'm going to do!"

Harry's heart broke as he listened to the other boy's plight. While he was glad that the DA was serving the purpose he had intended it for, he hated the idea that it was causing him so much pain. Then he had a sudden flash of inspiration. "Theo, I know someone who could understand completely where you're coming from. Can I go get him?"

Theo shrugged, back to feeling apathetic. "I don't care," he breathed, letting his head fall onto the table.

Harry nearly tripped in his haste to get to the Gryffindor table, where Remus and Sirius had chosen to sit instead of at the Head Table, and Remus was entertaining all of them with a story about the Marauders. Sirius looked up as he came over, and rose out of his chair.

"Continue on, Remus," he said with a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Can we talk?" Harry whispered urgently.

Sirius just nodded and led the way out of the Great Hall. As soon as they were far enough away to avoid being overheard, he turned to his son. "What's going on?" he asked seriously.

Harry bit his lip, wondering where to start. "Theo is the son of a Death Eater. Well, at least one, I don't know about his mother. He's also a member of the DA. The problem is that he was supposed to go home over break to get his Mark, but he doesn't know if he wants to anymore. He doesn't want to follow Voldemort, but is afraid of being disowned by his family." Harry took a breath, and looked at his father. "I was wondering if you would talk to him. If anyone understands what it's like to be in that situation, it would be you."

Sirius nodded, thinking about it. "I can't sympathize completely, but I certainly do understand his situation. I'll talk to him, don't worry about it."

Harry sagged in relief. "Thank you, Sirius," he said softly. "He's a good guy, and I really wouldn't want to lose him to the Dark side."

Sirius just gave him a small smile and walked quickly over to the Slytherin table while Harry made his way over to the Ravenclaw one.

"Hey Lisa," he said quietly. "Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas to you, too," she said, looking at him closely. "Are you alright?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. I've been doing the right thing with the DA, right?" he asked, for the first time questioning what he was doing.

Lisa smiled as she looked at him, putting down the book she had been reading. "Harry, I've known very little about you before this year. I always thought you were this strange kid that loved to attract danger. Then you start the DA and teach everyone that sometimes you have to look deeper to understand people. You've helped bridge the gap between the Houses that has been there for generations. That's not even counting what you've taught us spell-wise."

Harry smiled a bit. "Thanks, Lisa. What are you reading?" he asked to change the subject.

She held up the book. "Les Mis. It's a…"

"Classic French novel, written by Victor Hugo," Harry said quickly. "French or English?" he asked eagerly.

She looked at him strangely. "It's in French. My parents are spending the holiday in Paris and sent this to me for Christmas."

"Est-ce que tu parles francais?" he asked, a grin spreading across his face.

"Oui," she responded, eyebrows raised. "When did you learn French?" she asked.

"Over the summer. I spent about a month there with my godfather," he told her. He wasn't sure when people would know that Sirius had adopted him, but he wanted to let his closer friends know first. They continued to speak back and forth in French for a short while, until Lisa stopped, looking at him.

"Your accent," she started, thinking hard, "I'm going to guess south of France?"

It was Harry's turn to raise his brows. "How did you get that?"

She giggled slightly. "My family lived in France for several years before we moved back to Britain."

Harry just nodded. He was about to say something else when he saw Sirius walk over to him. Harry excused himself and stood, walking over to the older man.

"Do you have any calming draughts in your satchel?" he asked quietly.

Harry nodded. "It's up in the Tower. Where should I meet you?" he asked quickly, wanting to do what he could.

Sirius smiled slightly. "Our rooms. If it's alright with you, I was going to let Theo rest in your room, if that's alright."

Harry nodded again. "That's perfectly fine. He hasn't been sleeping, has he?" he guessed. Sirius just shook his head. "I'll meet you there with my satchel."

With that said, he hurried to leave and ran up to his dorm room to grab his Potions satchel, then hurried to his godfa-his father's rooms. He gave the password and walked in. He saw Theo on the couch, eyes very red and still looking slightly frantic.

Harry pulled out one of the calming draughts he'd made. It was a fifth year potion that they hadn't gotten to yet. In fact, it was nearly always taught in sixth year because of how complicated it was to brew, but Harry had worked on it until he was sure it was alright. "Here you go, Theo," he said softly, uncorking the vial and handing it to the Slytherin.

Theo just jerked his head in thanks and threw it back. He slumped slightly in the couch and Sirius walked over. He helped the young man to the guest room, which was the room Harry usually stayed in.

Harry sat hard on the couch. What a break! First the attack on Arthur, then the prophecy, now this. It was hard to believe that most students right now were just worried about their OWLs. He looked up when Sirius came back. "How is he?"

Sirius shrugged as he took a seat next to him on the couch. "He's scared, exhausted, confused. Apparently his father sent him a Howler this morning in lieu of a gift, though he did get a few presents from his mother."

Harry winced in sympathy. Having never had family before, he'd never had to worry about Howlers, but he could remember the one that Ron had gotten in second year. "I wish there was something I could do for him," he confessed quietly.

Sirius smiled at him. "You did, pup."

Harry looked at him and scowled. "Yes, I gave him a draught. And yes, I asked you to talk to him. I mean something bigger."

Sirius put a finger under Harry's chin to look him in the eyes. "If it weren't for the DA, he would be Marked right now," he told Harry seriously. "You've shown him that there are other options out there other than joining Voldemort. That is beyond huge, Harry. If I remember correctly, that was what prompted you to start the DA."

Harry looked down. "I know, and I'm glad that it's helped him so far. I just feel bad that this morning, I was granted the wish that I've made every birthday since I can remember." Harry hadn't planned on telling Sirius this, but it just slipped out. "I've always wished for a loving parent, someone there for me no matter what I do. And this morning, you gave that to me. Now I see someone who is my age and his family turned on him."

Sirius's breath caught. He always felt his heart shatter when Harry shared anything about his childhood, but he felt better that he had done so much when in truth, he felt like he'd gotten more. Then he smiled sadly. "You sound so much like James, there."

Harry's head snapped up. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"When I ran away and went to your dad's, he said that exact thing. That he wished there was something more he could do for me. And I get that you and Theo aren't nearly as close as James and I were," he said quickly, forestalling Harry's protest. "You still helped him. Keep being there for him as a friend, and if he needs a place to stay over the summer, we can talk after your OWLs."

Harry stared at him, unable to believe his ears. "You would let him stay with us, even though we barely know him?"

Sirius nodded, eyes completely serious. "Get to know him. He seems like a good kid who's caught up on the wrong side of this war. If there's anything that we can do to help anyone this summer, I'm willing to do it."

Harry didn't respond, but pulled his father into a hug. "Thank you, that means a lot," he said quietly. They sat quietly for a while before Harry got a bit restless. "I'm going to the Room. Let me know when he wakes up?" he asked.

Sirius just nodded. He wished that he could spend Christmas with Harry, just relaxing and enjoying the day, but he knew that Harry needed to release some energy. He also knew he couldn't leave Theo to wake up alone in a strange room. "I'll see you soon, then," he said, trying hard to mask the sadness he was feeling.

Harry saw it, though. "I'll be back in a bit," he promised and grabbed the book that Susan had given him, then hurried to the Room to release some pent up anger and to read for a bit.

* * *

Not long (by castle standards) after he'd secluded himself in the room, the door opened, and Hermione came in. "Harry!" she exclaimed, seeing him sitting in an armchair, reading a book. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Is this where you've been nearly all break?"

Harry nodded, and thought of another chair for Hermione. "Yeah, I've been trying to get a lot of practice and reading done during break. How's your Christmas been?"

She scowled slightly at him. "Nice of you to ask. I've barely seen you at all!"

Harry bowed his head, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry, Hermione. There's been a lot going on, and I've been needing to think about a lot."

She softened slightly. "Just don't shut me out, alright? You know you can talk to me about anything."

He nodded. "I know, and thank you. I haven't been meaning to push you away, I just need some time to think."

She nodded, knowing that she wasn't going to get any more out of him. "Happy Christmas to you, too, then," she said, much brighter this time. "Thank you for the New Theory of Numerology."

He grinned. "You kept talking about it when you were helping me with Vector's work, I figured there was a reason for that. And thank you for the Arithmancy spell book."

She smiled. "I saw you looking at it when we went to Hogsmeade, so I hurried to grab it."

They talked for over an hour, and Harry felt better than he had before. Harry stood, stretching out the kinks in his back. "I should get back. I'll see you at the feast, alright?"

She nodded and gave him a hug before they left, heading in different directions. Harry walked into the rooms to find Sirius setting up their chess board.

"I hope you aren't thinking about asking me to play with you," he warned from the doorway.

Sirius smiled, glad that he'd come back fairly quickly. "Come on, just a few games?" he tried.

Harry sighed dramatically. "Fine, I guess my ego can take getting creamed a few times."

Sure enough, Sirius won all of their games, but Harry was grinning. He felt bad for leaving Sirius earlier, especially only a few hours after they had filled out the adoption papers. They were about to set the board up for another game when a voice caused them to turn around.

"Wow, Potter, you suck at this game," Theo said, leaning against the doorway.

Harry grinned. "Yeah, I know. You'd think I'd be better by now, but nope. Maybe I'd do better against you?" he though aloud.

"You can try," Theo smirked, his Slytherin side showing as he tried to hid the emotions that had been blatant earlier in the day.

Sirius got out of the seat he'd been in to let the teen sit. He grinned as he watched the two teens play a few games, and was happy to see Harry doing a bit better, only losing two of the next three games.

It seemed no time at all had passed, but then Sirius realized that it was time for the feast, so he stopped them before starting a new game. The three put away the game and hurried for the Great Hall.

The Headmaster had once again gotten rid of the House tables in favor of one large table for everyone staying. Remus and Sirius sat with the teachers this time, and Harry with Hermione. He found that she was going to the Weasley's the next day as well. They would be leaving together after breakfast.

As soon as the meal was finished, Theo thanked them for their help and went down to the dungeons, declining their offer to let him stay with them. Snape had been glaring at them all throughout the meal, wondering why the current and former Gryffindor were talking so much to one of his snakes. He knew that Theo was going through a hard time right now, but he doubted Black and Potter would be able to do anything to help.

Sirius asked Harry to stay another night in their rooms instead of the Tower, and Harry quickly agreed. When they walked into the sitting area, there was already a fire going and a plate of cookies and a teapot waiting for them.

Harry chuckled, knowing that Dobby really must like him to go through all that after making the feast. He sat down and poured two cups, preparing Sirius's the way he always liked, and bit into a cookie.

Sirius was sitting down, wondering where to start, he fiddled with his teacup for a while, until Harry finally sighed.

"Unless you are telling me that you changed your mind about this morning, I don't think you need to be worried about talking to me," Harry said calmly, though his heart was racing. He really hoped that his joke wasn't the truth.

Sirius smiled slightly. "I would never change my mind about that, pup," he reassured. "Oh, what the hell. There are a few things that I was going to bring up earlier, but then everything with Theo happened, and I didn't get a chance to."

"Okay," Harry said slowly.

"Now that I've adopted you, I would like to name you my heir and heir to the Black title and fortune."

Harry was shocked. He should have expected that, but just getting a father was shocking enough. "So we'll be going to Gringotts, then?" he asked, looking down at the Potter heir ring that he always wore.

Sirius smiled. "Yes, as well as the Ministry. I know that news of this will leak quickly, so there's really no rush. We can even wait until your summer break if you would like."

Harry nodded. It made sense to wait until after his OWLs were finished with. "Thank you, Sirius," he said meaningfully. "What else was there to talk about?"

"Now that I am technically your father, I've had to give up my title as godfather. As you father, I have the right to name anyone to be your new godfather; however, you are old enough to make the decision on who you want to be there for you should anything happen to me before you reach your majority."

Harry shuddered at the thought of losing Sirius so soon after taking his name. But the question at hand was rather simple. "Is there some ridiculous law against making Remus my godfather?" he asked. Though he had read some of the book Susan had given to him, he hadn't gotten to the section on 'magical creatures'.

Sirius smiled as he shook his head. "No, there isn't. James chose me because he and I were a closer than him and Remus. So you are sure about this?" he double checked, pulling out the form.

Harry grinned. "I would love for Remus to be my godfather. Now, you even think about leaving me any time soon, and I will have James and Lily kick your ass for me," he vowed.

Sirius chuckled, though his eyes were watering. "I know it's not a pleasant topic, and I certainly don't plan on leaving you until you are old and gray. However, I just wanted to make sure that in the event that something does, that you would not return to the Dursleys."

Harry scowled. He hadn't given them much thought, and really didn't want to. He shook his head to clear it from the unpleasant thoughts and forced himself to smile. "Does he have to fill out some of the paperwork?" he asked.

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, a few forms, and so do you and me."

"Do you think he'd be able to sign them tonight?" Harry asked. The thought of having to return to the Dursleys made him a bit more anxious to finalize everything.

"Yeah, I think he'd still be up. I'll Floo him and ask," Sirius told him before kneeling in front of the flames.

While Harry waited, he pulled out the book of laws and continued reading. He was up to the creation of the Wizangamot, how the members were chosen, and how it was run. He was only able to get through a few pages before the door to their rooms opened, and Remus stepped in. Though a lot of the fireplaces in Hogwarts allowed Floo communication, they did not allow Floo travel. The only exceptions were the Headmaster's office, the Infirmary (in case someone needed to go to St. Mungo's) and if a teacher had their fireplace connected through the Ministry, thought that was rare.

"Hey, Harry," Remus greeted when he walked in.

"Hey, Remus," Harry said, putting the book down. He looked at Sirius, who just nodded encouragingly. "Why don't you have a seat? There's something that we wanted to talk about with you."

Remus looked a bit confused, but sat. "Alright, what's on your mind?"

Harry looked over at Sirius again, and accepted the forms that were needed. "Well, as you know, Sirius adopted me this morning," he started, and smiled when Remus' face lit up again. It was clear that the werewolf was quite happy for them. "Well, that means that he's no longer my godfather. I need a new one." He set the forms down on the coffee table that was between them. "Remus Lupin, would you be willing to be my godfather?" he asked.

Remus looked at the forms to hide his shock. Part of him was hoping for this, but he never would have expected it. His status as a werewolf had caused him to be slightly more apathetic the older he got. His hands trembled slightly as he set the forms back down. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, just to be sure.

Harry smiled widely. "There's no one better," he said firmly. "I know that really it's just a formality," he said hurriedly, not wanting the professor to be worried about taking care of him. "I come of age in a year and a half, and Sirius has no immediate plans on dying," he said firmly towards his new father.

Remus nodded. "I understand, and I'm truly touched, Harry." He signed the line, feeling quite fulfilled. "This is going to make a ruckus at the Ministry," he warned.

Harry looked confused as Sirius sighed. "What do you mean? It's legal for a werewolf to become a godfather, right?"

Remus sat back and watched as Harry and Sirius both signed the paper, and then it vanished; it would reappear at the Ministry. "It's not illegal," he corrected. "They've never created a law for this, because they assume that no one would ever ask a monster to be a godfather."

Sirius went to stand up, but Harry beat him to it. "Never call yourself that again, Moony," he seethed. "I've known a lot of monsters in my life: both human and nonhuman, Muggle and magical alike. I can say with complete confidence that you are not a monster!"

Sirius fought to contain his grin. He and James had been working on Remus' self esteem for years, but it had clearly come back when Sirius was in Azkaban. He was pleased to see that Harry was going to continue to work with Remus about that same thing.

Remus was in shock again. While he knew that Harry was not prejudiced at all, he never would have thought that his new godson would be so adamant. He just nodded mutely, and Harry sat back down, breathing hard.

"Sorry about that," he apologized. "I know what it's like to think something negative about yourself for years. Sirius has been getting on me about that for months."

Remus just nodded again, then accepted the cup of tea that Sirius passed him. He wanted to press for details, but knew that now wasn't the time. Their conversation took a much lighter tone, and the three wizards talked late into the night, and Harry was the first to fall asleep in his seat.

Sirius looked over at him, his features softening with love. "He looks so much younger when he's asleep, doesn't he?"

Remus chuckled. "He does. There's times that he seems so much older than 15. I have to say, I nearly mistook him for James there when he went off on me."

Sirius laughed quietly. "Tell me about it. Though I have to say, I see so much of Lily in him, it's kind of crazy."

Remus nodded. "He got the best of both Lily and James. And now you."

Sirius started. "What do you mean?"

"If you knew both of you, it's clear that he's starting to act somewhat like you," Remus explained.

Sirius shuddered theatrically. "Bite your tongue! I hope that he never acts like I did back then."

Remus chuckled again. "Very true, I wouldn't want to deal with another teenage version of you and James."

The two friends chuckled as they remembered the good old days and their fallen friend. As Sirius began to fall asleep as well, he prayed to whatever beings were listening that he would not join James for quite some time.

* * *

**So, I kind of wanted another 'Sirius' currently attending the school, and Theo seemed like my best bet. Again, not much was done with his character in canon, but I thought that someone who is close friends with a neutral family might be a bit more hesitant to join the DE.  
**

**I won't apologize for the adoption, though, because that was always going to happen in this story, as was Remus as the new godfather, because Sirius would know better than anyone else how short life can be during a war, and want to make provisions for Harry just in case.**

**I know I put in a tiny disagreement between Harry and Hermione, but that seemed to fit rather well. Harry now has the prophecy hanging over him and would want to spend all his time training, but since he won't tell Ron and Hermione why, they're confused. Plus, most of his free time was spent with Sirius.**

**Lastly, the competition will be included later on :-) **


	22. Chapter 22

**Mid week update! Haven't had one of these in a while. Unfortunately, quick update comes in the price of length; this one is super short, but I just wanted to wrap up their Christmas break before delving into the new term. **

**I'm glad that everyone liked the adoption, all the reviews were making me smile. I also know that I've had a few comments about how our Golden Trio seemed to be drifting apart, and so I hope that this chapter and the next help to address those worries, because I can't stand the idea of those three not being as close as they should be. Yes, he's found some other friends in the school, but Ron and Hermione will always be family to him :-)**

* * *

When Harry woke the next morning, he had to stifle a chuckle. Both Sirius and Remus had fallen asleep in the sitting room with him. He gently lifted himself off of the couch, trying not to wake them, and made his way to the restroom. When he was finished with his most pressing need, his stomach rumbled.

"Dobby?" he called quietly.

A CRACK was heard, and Dobby appeared in the room. "Harry Potter, sir called me?" he asked excitedly.

Harry grinned at his hyper friend. "Yeah, Dobby. I was wondering if you would be able to bring breakfast for me, my father, and my godfather." Harry found he quite like the sound of those titles as they rolled off his tongue.

"Of course I cans, sir!" Dobby said before popping away again.

He returned not long later with a tray full of food, tea, and coffee. He set the tray down and popped away again, saying that he had other work he needed to do. Harry quickly moved the food and drink to the table, and laughed when the older wizards stumbled in.

"I told you I smelled coffee," Remus mumbled.

Sirius barked a laugh. "Forgive me, Moony, for doubting your nose." He looked at Harry. "You did all this?"

Harry smiled and shook his head. "Dobby brought the food for all of us. I just asked him to."

They sat down and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast just the three of them. There wasn't much to talk about, but it was a comfortable silence. Occasionally, one of them would comment or ask a question, but for the most part the only sounds were the cutlery scraping against their plate, and drinks being poured. As soon as they were finished, Sirius looked over at Harry.

"The Weasley's are expecting us in about an hour, and Hermione is going with us. So how about you go get ready, and we'll meet Hermione at Dumbledore's office?"

Harry nodded quickly and ran to get his shower things and one of his casual robes. He didn't want to wear one of his nicer ones, as that might make some of the Weasley's a bit uncomfortable.

Sure enough, forty five minutes later, he was standing outside the gargoyle with Sirius, waiting for Hermione. She showed up a few minutes later, and they gave each other a quick hug.

"Ready for a fun time?" she asked.

Harry exchanged a grin with Sirius. They had agreed not to tell anyone about the adoption until dinner when they would toast. "Definitely," he answered her.

They gave the password to the gargoyle and made their way up the stairs. Dumbledore didn't look pleased to let them use his Floo, but allowed it. They let Hermione go first, then Harry, and finally Sirius brought up the rear.

"Happy Christmas!" the twins, who were the first to see them, yelled.

Harry grinned and gave everyone a big hug as soon as he was away from the Floo. Mrs. Weasley gave him her trademark back breaking hug as soon as he was in range.

"It's so good to see you, Harry," she whispered in his ear.

"You, too," he said back, then made his way over to the patriarch. "I'm glad to see you're looking much better."

Arthur smiled at him. "It took the healers a while to find an antidote to the venom, but they found it. I don't think I ever thanked you properly for everything," he said as he pulled the younger man into a hug.

Harry blushed when he pulled back after a few seconds. "It was nothing," he mumbled, then hurried over to Ron. He was glad that Arthur was being a bit less formal. He guessed that he was back to 'normal', since he had already acknowledged the debt.

"Thanks for the broom compass, it's great!" Ron enthused.

Harry laughed. "No problem. I thought you would like it."

Just then, Molly kicked everyone out of the kitchen, saying that she wanted to take her time getting their lunch ready. Harry went over to Sirius. "We going to wait until dinner?" he asked quietly.

Sirius grinned. "Sounds like a plan. I can't wait to see their faces."

Harry laughed, and went over to Ron and Hermione, who was greeting everyone as well. The three went up to Ron's room to talk.

"So, what have you been doing?" Hermione demanded as soon as the door was closed.

Harry bit his lip. "What do you mean?"

Hermione scoffed. "Please. Ever since the attack on Mr. Weasley, you've been hiding out, and I've barely even seen you, just at meals."

Ron was looking between the two. He had spent most of the week scared for his father, but had missed spending time with the other two. "Is everything alright, Harry?" he asked quickly.

Harry sighed. He really didn't want to tell them about the prophecy yet. It was huge, and it would only serve to freak them out. But at the same time, he knew that they deserved to know why he wasn't with them very much, and it would only get worse when term started up again. He remembered his and Ron's fight at the start of term when he hadn't spent much time with him, and knew that it would likely happen again, as he knew he wanted to spend all of his free time in the Room working on training and reading up on anything that he could use in the coming fight.

Hermione could tell that Harry was thinking hard about something. She felt bad for pushing, but knew that he needed to talk about whatever it was. "Look, you don't have to give us specifics," she nearly pleaded. "But you have to tell us what's going on."

"I got a wakeup call," he started. "I can't tell you everything just yet, but I realized that I need to spend as much time as I can training and reading up on anything that I can get my hands on."

Ron and Hermione stared at him. This was not like the Harry that they knew. Ron spoke up first. "What do you mean, a wakeup call?"

Harry looked down. "Look, I'm not really ready to give out specifics. I just don't want to lie to you or have you upset at me not being around as much as I used to be. I just know that I have a lot of things to learn, and not a lot of time to learn them."

"Are you wanting to play a bigger part in this war?" Hermione always was the smartest of their group.

Harry gave them a small smile. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. I still have a long way to go before I can do anything worthwhile, and you can bet that when most adults get wind of this, they'll be lining up to keep me in the dark."

Ron nodded. "Yeah, mom's like that. She just doesn't want to understand that we've been through some serious things before, and it's kind of hard to see the world as this wonderful, safe place when things are happening all around us."

Harry's smile widened. It was nice to be able to talk with other teens who understood the stakes like he did. "Well, now that's all dealt with," he said quickly, "what about a game of Exploding Snap?"

They played until lunch, which was a rather quiet affair; or at least, as quiet as any meal in the Weasley house is. After lunch, all the kids went outside for a few games of Quidditch. They were all impressed when the twins were able to convince Hermione to play with them. So the teams were Hermione, Ginny, and George against Harry, Fred, and Ron. They found that Hermione was actually a halfway decent Keeper, and they all had a blast playing a few games. They didn't have Seekers or Beaters, since there wasn't a Snitch or Bludgers, but instead each team had a Keeper and two Chasers. The score endud up being 200-300, with Harry's team being the winner.

When they were tired of that, they started a giant snowball fight in the backyard, regardless of the fact that they were all frozen to the bones from all the flying in the icy weather. There were no set teams, it was more of a 'fend for yourself' type fight, and no one really won, though the twins were less covered than everyone else.

Dinner finally came, and Harry sat with Sirius, and the two were exchanging grins throughout the meal. Finally, desert was served, and Sirius stood, gently tapping his knife against his glass.

"Everyone, Harry and I have an announcement to make," he said loudly, motioning Harry to stand.

The room went silent, a first. Every eye was on the two wizards, who were smiling broadly.

"Well? Don't leave us in suspense!" Ron said.

Sirius looked at Harry, who very nearly blushed at the attention. "Sirius adopted me this morning," he said clearly.

For a moment, no one moved. Then it was as though an explosion took place. Everyone started talking at once, and hugs were given all around.

"You didn't say anything!" Hermione called to Harry.

"Congrats, mate," Ron said, pulling him into a hug.

"You going to make him a Marauder?" the twins asked Sirius, as seriously as they could, though everyone could see the mischievous glint in their eyes.

"What makes you think he needs any help?" Sirius responded.

"Oh, Harry, I'm so happy for you," Molly said through her tears. Then she turned to Sirius. "If you need any help at all, we're just a Floo call away," she reminded him.

Sirius smiled. "I'll keep that in mind if he gets into any kind of trouble this term," he said with a mock stern look at Harry.

Harry chuckled. "Isn't that a bit strange, since you got into more trouble than the twins when you were in school?"

Sirius laughed, as did the rest of the room, knowing how much of a handful the twins were every term. The mood in the house stayed light the entire night, and then the twins demanded that everyone step outside, with twin winks at Harry. With nervous looks, the rest of the family donned their coats and hats, making their way outside.

Fred went a few yards away, bent down on the ground to do something, then ran back over. "Alright," George yelled. "Let her rip!"

At once, the sky filled with fireworks, and all of them gaped in awe. Ginny and Hermione were gazing up with wondering looks, while Arthur and Molly smiled, glad that their sons had thought to do this outside. Fred and George were telling Harry some of the features of the fireworks, including the spells that prevented them from being Banished or Vanished, and Harry wished that they had sent them off while Umbridge was still at the school, as he could have just imagined the look on her face. Sirius was just happy to see the look on Harry's face. After everything that break had turned into, it was nice to see him acting his age, which was a rare sight, indeed.

Eventually, though, it was time to head back to Hogwarts, and the rest of the kids were coming back with them. Molly had already cleared it with Dumbledore, since term started again in a few days.

They Flooed back through the Headmaster's office, and Dumbledore looked at their happy faces.

"I heard that Arthur was healed, but that was a few days ago," Albus said, fishing for a reason for their moods.

Everyone looked at Harry and Sirius, and were surprised that their smiles had frozen. Neither had forgotten the last conversation that they'd had with the Headmaster not that long ago, and weren't quite ready to forgive him for keeping the prophecy from Harry.

"I have adopted Harry," Sirius said with a forced smile. Anyone else might have thought it was genuine, but Harry knew his new father quite well.

Albus broke into a wide smile. "That is wonderful. Congratulations, Harry!" He thought for a moment. "Is it Harry Black, now?" he asked.

Harry looked at the Headmaster. It seemed as though he already knew the answer, but he learned that the man was always ahead of the news. "It's Harry Potter-Black, actually. The teachers can call me either Potter or Potter-Black in class."

Albus' smile didn't waver. "I will let the professors know of this happy event, and the name will change. When are you going to the Ministry to fill the papers?"

"Actually," Sirius interjected, "we already filled out the paperwork yesterday morning. The papers were sent magically sent straight to records."

"Well, I am quite happy for you both." Then he stopped for a moment. "Might I have a word with you in private, Mr. Potter-Black?" he asked, a thoughtful look on his face.

Harry froze, then relaxed. "Would it be alright for Sirius to stay as well?" he asked pleasantly.

Albus smiled. "Of course he can, if you would prefer." He glanced at the other students.

They got the message immediately. "Alright," Ginny said. "Harry, are you coming back to the Tower tonight?"

Harry nodded at her. "Yeah, I'll be there in a bit. I still have a lot of stuff in Sirius's room, so I have to grab them, and then I'll be there."

They just nodded, and glanced once more between the adults, then hurried out of the room. Sirius and Harry sat down on the couch as Albus sat behind his desk.

"Well?" Sirius asked.

Dumbledore turned to Harry. "I was just wondering whether or not you had told Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger about the prophecy."

Harry was learning diplomacy quite well, Sirius thought. The teen's expression didn't change. "No, sir, I did not."

"I see," the Headmaster said quietly. "Might I inquire as to why? I understand that you have been training and studying quite hard this break, and if you plan to continue, they are likely to wonder why."

Harry thought for a moment. He cared about the Headmaster, but his trust in the man had dropped significantly since the first day of break. "They trust me, sir. We don't need to know everything about each other for that trust. I told them only that I have been working hard and plan on continuing to do so."

Point Harry. Sirius looked up. "What is your interest in this, Headmaster?" he inquired.

Albus folded his hands on the desk. "I am simply concerned, as I have mentioned to you before, Sirius. This is a burden on one student; I cannot imagine what his close friends might think and become worried about."

Sirius sighed. "I understand. However, it is Harry's business who to and not to tell. I don't know about you, but I trust him very much. If there is a single student in this school who can handle this, it would be him."

Harry tried not to preen with praise. While Sirius did compliment him, it was always a nice thing to hear, and it was always because he had done something to deserve it. "I know I'll have to tell them eventually," he admitted. "It wouldn't be right to keep them in the dark about this; they need to know everything in order to make an informed decision about how much they want to support me when the time comes. However, I want them to have clear heads to study for the OWLs, so I'll wait to tell them until after the exams."

Dumbledore and Sirius looked slightly impressed at his reasoning. Sirius was about to say something when Harry stopped him.

"Something else I had been thinking about lately, though, I figured I should discuss with the both of you."

Dumbledore leaned back into his seat and steepled his fingers under his chin. "Very well, what were you thinking?"

Harry considered how to phrase it. "I know how important it is to keep the prophecy from Voldemort and his supporters," he started, and realized how nice it was to have a discussion with people who didn't flinch at the name, since Ron still did once in a while, as well as the majority of the school. "However, since I already know its contents, I really don't want to risk another member of the Order getting hurt trying to protect it."

"That's understandable, Mr. Potter-Black," Albus said slowly. "However, what did you have in mind? We can't have you go in and listen to it, which is allowed if you know of a prophecy concerning yourself, because that would make you more of a target than you already are."

Harry smiled slightly. "What if I made an appointment to go and listen to the prophecy? Malfoy Sr. has enough contacts through the Ministry to know that I was going there. Then, in a brief moment of clumsiness, I drop the prophecy before I can hear it? The Ministry employee who is with us would see that it wasn't a malicious intent, and it takes the prophecy out of the equation."

Dumbledore and Sirius's brows rose to nearly comical heights. It was clear that neither had thought about something like that. "That is certainly an idea," Dumbledore told him hesitantly. "I will have to think about it before we can do anything, you understand."

Harry nodded and stood. "If that's everything, Headmaster?"

Albus nodded, still deep in thought, and Harry and Sirius left the room together. Classes started the next day, so Sirius was leaving as soon as they were finished talking.

"How long have you been thinking about that?" Sirius asked, referring to the prophecy.

"A while," he confessed. "It just seemed like such a waste of the Order's limited resources, not to mention risking their lives like Mr. Weasley."

Sirius smiled at his reasoning. "Well, we'll certainly talk about it later, and I think we're going to do it, since it makes sense. The only fear with it is putting you in more danger."

Harry surprised him by laughing. "Sirius, he already wants me dead, and has already tortured me once before. How much more danger can I be in?"

Sirius winced at the reminder, and he knew that Harry was right. It was truly safer for Harry if the prophecy was destroyed, so that Voldemort never knew for sure what the prophecy said. He hurried to change the subject to slightly lighter topics, and they talked for a while longer, until Sirius ordered him out. "You have class tomorrow, and I don't think Professor Lupin would be happy with me if you fell asleep during his class."

Harry smiled. "Very true. So I'll see you during spring break?" he asked.

Sirius nodded. They had already decided that Sirius would pick him up after his last class and take him home, so that it was easier to get him to and from the tournament. "I'll pick you up first thing," he promised, and made his leave.

Harry smiled after him. He was glad that that he had gotten the chance to spend the winter break with his new father. It was startling to realize how much had changed in the past few weeks. In a way, he felt as though he'd aged quite a bit. Though he'd been honest in his determination to see the prophecy through, it truly did terrify him. He needed all the help he could get to defeat Voldemort, and was worried that not only would he be killed in the process, but others that he loved would be as well.

Shaking his head to clear it of the depressing thoughts, he made his way up to the Tower. He had to admit, it would be nice to see his friends again. He hoped that having them around would keep him from the constant worry that had plagued him since he heard the prophecy in Sirius's kitchen. If he knew his friends at all, they would be able to do that.

* * *

**So, I know it's the shortest one I've done yet, but I didn't think we wanted to head into the spring term just yet. That is going to be in the next chapter, which I hope to have up by Sunday. **


	23. Chapter 23

**Been getting a lot of varied feedback lately, some have been loving, and some have been hating. I'm not going to beg people to keep reading, because, if this isn't your cup of tea, that's fine. Just please don't keep complaining about it. **

* * *

Harry woke early the next day, and as was now common for him, he dressed in his Quidditch robes and made his way to the pitch. He was still struggling to get his body back into shape, because even though he was thin, he only had certain muscle groups that were somewhat strong, and that was because of Quidditch. He was about to leave the Common room, when he heard a voice behind him.

"Where you headed?" a sleepy voice asked.

"Ginny?" Harry asked, turning around. He had completely missed her, as she had been reading on the couch.

"I couldn't sleep. Where are you going?" she repeated.

"Out to the pitch for a run," he replied, rubbing his hands together to warm them. It was a bit chilly in the room, with only the dying embers from the fire the night before.

Ginny stared at him. "Since when do you get up early to run?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "Since the past couple weeks or so," he told her. "Turns out it helps your magical core if you keep your body in good condition." He was surprised to hear himself mentioning it to her, since he had only discussed it with Sirius so far, but he had found that Ginny was pretty easy to talk to.

She shuddered theatrically. "Well, I think I'll pass," she said with an easy smile. "Getting up early is one thing, but running when it's this cold out? No, thanks."

Harry laughed. "Well, let me know if you change your mind," he said, and headed out.

It really was freezing cold on the pitch, and Harry was more than happy to get moving quickly in the hopes of warming up. He made it around the pitch twice before he was really struggling to breathe, so he headed back inside and went to the Room of Requirement.

Once he was there, he shed his top layers and started the strengthening exercises he'd learned. By the time he was done, he was wide awake and at the same time, exhausted. Looking at the clock, he realized that he'd forgotten to set the extra time, and didn't have much longer until breakfast. Cursing under his breath at his own forgetfulness, he thought of a shower, and a door appeared on the side of the room.

A few minutes later, he was heading out when the door opened before he got there, and Ron came in, holding a handful of clothes.

"Ginny told me that you were up early and working out," he said in response to Harry's confused look. "When you weren't back in time, I thought I'd bring you a change of clothes and your bag."

"How'd you know where I was?" Harry asked, accepting the clothes and bag.

"I wasn't sure, but Hermione said she found you in here the other day, and you weren't out on the pitch, so I just figured I'd check," Ron told him, ears burning slightly.

Harry looked at him gratefully, and hurried to change, and left his clothes where they were. He would get to them later. The two of them made their way to the Great Hall, and Harry dug in. At the very least, his increased exercise schedule had certainly helped his appetite.

History was boring as ever. They were finally finished with Goblin rebellions, which they had been studying for the past two years. Harry thought it must be Binns' favorite subject, with how much of the curriculum is dedicated to them. Now they were on the history of vampire wars in Britain, which should have been exciting, but was just as boring. Harry had his text open and was taking notes on it, when he looked over, and was surprised to see Ron doing the same.

Harry grinned to himself, and continued what he was doing. When the bell rang, they made their way to the dungeons.

Snape appeared to be in a rather foul mood that day, and clearly didn't want to bother teaching a new potion, so he set them to making the Draught of Peace again. He told them that very few actually had a decent potion last time, and he wanted a much better effort this time around.

Harry shrugged, and set up next to Neville so that he could help his friend out a bit. Every once in a while, Neville would whisper a question about whey they did certain things, and Harry would whisper back the answer. Neville was actually quite brilliant, but his nerves got the best of him in the dungeons.

Snape glowered at the two of them when they handed in their potions, but there was nothing that he could say to take off points. He had kept an eye on them, and Potter hadn't made Longbottom's potion for him.

The rest of the day went quite well, in Harry's opinion. Runes was fun, as always. He wondered why he hadn't thought about taking this subject earlier. Yeah, it was pretty hard, and there was a lot of memorization involved, but his Occlumency certainly helped with that.

DADA was once again everyone's favorite subject with Remus teaching. Harry had noticed at lunch that Dumbledore received quite a bit more mail than usual, but so far no one had withdrawn from the class, so he assumed the contract Snape signed was helping.

Harry was hurrying to dinner, as he had stayed behind in DADA to talk to Remus for a while, when he heard yelling. It wasn't the kind of yelling that someone did when they were afraid, it was furious yelling. He changed direction slightly and made his way over to them.

"What did you do with it?" a girl demanded. "Where did you put it? Do you know how much those cost me?"

He heard a mumble that he recognized as Luna, so he stepped up his walking to a jog and rounded the corner to see a group of girls that he knew were Luna's roommates going through Luna's bag, throwing her things on the ground Luna'ed. It was Charlotte, and she was in the DA, which made him furious. "nded the corner to see a group of gir. It was clear they didn't care if anything got ripped or broken, as he saw a bottle of ink shatter, splattering her books

"Hey!" he called, getting their attention. "Is there a problem here?"

"Leave it, Potter," a girl he knew snapped. It was Charlotte, and she was in the DA, which made him furious. "This doesn't concern you."

"If you are harassing one of my friends, you bet it concerns me," he retorted, stepping up next to Luna. "Now, what's the problem?"

"She stole my earrings," Charlotte accused. "I want them back, they cost me a fortune!"

"What makes you think Luna took them?" he demanded.

"We know she did," another girl, Jessica, said.

Harry glared at them, and yanked Luna's bag away from them, quickly fixing the tears, and bent down to pick up the books, reparing the damage and siphoning off the ink. He put everything back in it and handed it to Luna. "Let's take this to your Head of House," he said, voice hard. "I'm sure he would love to hear how you are treating a member of your House."

Charlotte paled. She really didn't want Flitwick to be here, so she backed up. "This doesn't concern you, Potter," she repeated, but her voice was softer.

Harry looked around, and saw Terry Boot headed for the Great Hall, running late as well. "Terry!" he called, and the boy turned to him, eyes narrowing as he saw the group that was gathered.

He walked over slowly, and looked at Harry. "What's up?" he asked.

"Could you get Flitwick out here for me? I want to talk to him about something," Harry told him, not taking his eyes off of Charlotte.

"Sure thing," Terry said, walking away. He went into the Great Hall, which was loud, as always, and made his way up to the Head Table. "Professor?" he asked Flitwick.

Flitwick turned away from his conversation with Sprout, and turned to his student. "Yes, Mr. Boot?"

"There seems to be a problem out in the Entrance Hall. Harry asked to talk to you out there," he said nervously. He never liked being in the middle of issues.

Flitwick looked bewildered, but he knew Harry, and that he wouldn't ask for him if there wasn't a problem. "Very well," he said, pushing his chair back and making his way out of the Great Hall, aware that all eyes were on him. When Terry took him to the gathering of three of his students and Harry, he was confused.

"Professor," Harry nodded to him. "Sorry to pull you away from your dinner."

"Not a problem, my boy. What seems to be the problem?" he asked, pleased that it didn't seem to be a fight.

"I was on my way to dinner, when I saw Charlotte claiming that Luna stole from her, and she and Jessica were tearing through Luna's bag, not caring that anything was being ruined, looking for said items."

Flitwick stared at them. He knew that Luna wasn't the most popular student of his, but he was surprised to see an altercation like this. He turned to Charlotte. "Well, Miss Root, care to tell me your side?"

Charlotte looked at her feet. "My earrings went missing this morning, and I believed that Luna took them. I was just trying to find them."

"If you believed that they were stolen, why didn't you come to me?" the professor asked. "You know I have a zero tolerance policy for stealing."

She mumbled something that no one could understand, and Flitwick nodded.

"I also have zero tolerance for bullying. You will apologize to Miss Lovegood for your behavior, and after supper, we shall find out what happened to your earrings."

Charlotte looked at Luna, and hurried through an apology, and ran for the Hall, Jessica and Terry right behind her. Luna smiled at Harry. "Thank you, Harry Potter. It was nice for someone to stick up for me."

Flitwick stared at her. "Is this a common thing for you?" he asked, aghast.

She didn't seem to notice his tone. "Oh, yes, professor. People think I'm very strange. They like to call me Loony, and blame me for things that I didn't do. Sometimes they take my things and hide them, but it's all in good fun, I guess."

Flitwick seemed to be at a loss for words. "Miss Lovegood, please know that you can always come to me, with anything. I want to make sure that no one is bullied in my House."

"Of course, professor," she said musically, and drifted off to the Hall.

The Charms professor turned to Harry. "I have to thank you for how you handled that, Mr. Potter-Black," he admitted. "You took charge, and brought this to my attention. Thank you."

Harry flushed. He really hadn't thought about doing anything else, and he really did consider Luna to be one of his friends. At the very least, she was a member of his club, and he wouldn't stand for any of them to be treated badly. "It was nothing, sir," he said. To dispel the awkward silence that followed, he tried a smile. "Thank you for the invitation to the dueling competition. I sent my acceptance to them a few days ago, and my father is going to pick me up and take me."

Filius smiled at him. "It was nothing, my boy. And my I say congratulations for your adoption over break. I believe that you and Sirius are very good for each other."

Harry smiled, and the two went back to their dinners. Harry stopped by the Ravenclaw table and sat with Luna the whole time, making sure that the girls didn't give her a hard time now that their Head wasn't there.

After they had finished eating, Harry decided that the rest was a House matter. Before he left, though, he reminded Luna that he was always there if she needed someone to talk to. She smiled widely at him and thanked him.

He then went to find Ron and Hermione, asking if they wanted to join him in the Room of Requirement for a while. He had decided that it was time to let them in on a few more of his secrets. He wasn't ready to tell them about his Animagus form, or the prophecy, just yet, but had already decided on a few of the smaller things he hadn't told them about.

When they entered the now familiar Room, Harry set the time delay. "What was that?" Hermione asked curiously.

Harry went about explaining the Room's feature, and how much he had been using it, especially over the break.

"So that's how you were able to keep up last term, even with all of the toad's detentions," Ron realized.

"Exactly," Harry replied. Then he went over to the bookshelf and pulled down the book he was nearly finished with, and handed it to Hermione first.

She looked at the cover, and gasped when she read the author's names. "Potter and Black?" she demanded. "That would mean…"

"They're my grandparents," he said softly. "Sirius told me that when he saw it. They apparently wrote a lot of books together, and had finished this one right before they died, so it was never published.

Hermione grabbed him in a tight hug, then took a closer look at the book. She thumbed through it quickly, and was amazed. "This has so much information!" she exclaimed.

Harry laughed. "I know, I've been working on it for a while, and haven't finished it yet. When I'm done, though, you are welcome to read it."

Hermione nodded frantically, and it looked nearly painful for her to put it down.

Harry then thought about one next things he was going to discuss. It would be a bit more difficult, but he had faith in his friends. "One of the things that Sirius taught me over the summer was a branch of magic called Occlumency," he started.

"I've heard of that," Hermione interrupted. "It's supposed to be very difficult, but very useful, especially if you can learn at least a bit of it and want to keep secrets."

Harry smiled. "Yeah, that's why he started teaching me. I was wondering if you guys wanted to learn it, too. You never know when it would come in handy."

Ron was studying Harry's face. "There's something else," he guessed.

Harry sighed, and thought of a few comfortable chairs, and he motioned for them to sit. They all sat, and the two gave him a few minutes to collect his thoughts.

"I know you are wondering about some things that I haven't been telling you," he began, and they nodded. "Well, the reason is that I need to know that you can protect them. I know that you would never willingly tell people," he said quickly, not wanting them to get offended. "But there are a lot of Death Eaters, not to mention Voldemort, and maybe a few people who aren't dark, but just want more information on me, who know Legilimency. I want to tell you guys everything, but not just yet. Would you be willing to learn Occlumency?"

His friends didn't even need to think about it. "Of course," the replied in unison, and grinned at each other.

"You wouldn't ask us to learn something that difficult if it wasn't important," Ron said quietly.

Hermione nodded. "We know that you would tell us, but you need to know that the information is safe. Well, we understand that."

Harry sighed and sagged in his chair in relief. He had been worried that they would be offended at having to learn such a difficult art before he could tell them, that maybe they would think he didn't trust them.

"Alright," he said, sitting up. "Part of the problem here is that I've never used Legilimency before, so we'll all be learning something new with this," he said, grinning.

For the next while, Harry was explaining the basics of Occlumency, and thought of two copies of the book that Sirius had bought for him, asking his friends to read them in their spare time. In all honesty, that was part of the reason he had told them about the time delay on the Room, as it would give all of them more time to practice, read, and learn together.

Letting them alone so that they could read, he wondered if he would be able to find a book on Legilimency, and one appeared in his lap. Laughing at himself for not thinking of that, he took the book and started reading.

* * *

As Harry walked into the Great Hall for breakfast the next day, he felt like it was the first day of the term again. All eyes were on him, and Harry couldn't figure it out. He had been running late, having decided to take a longer run than usual, trying to push himself to faster times. He looked around the room and found pity and horror from nearly all of the members in the DA, even from some people that weren't in the group. There was intrigue from everyone, and unholy glee from various people sprinkled throughout the hall, most especially his enemies in Slytherin.

Without taking another minute to think about it, he went over to Ron and Hermione, who were horror stricken.

"What?" he demanded.

Hermione stuttered, trying to find a way to tell him, but Ron knew his friend, and grabbed his arm, Hermione's, and the paper that they'd been reading, and drug them out of the hall, ignoring the whispers that followed them.

They barely made it out of the Great Hall before Harry shrugged off his friend's arm and grabbed the paper. All the blood from his face drained as he read the article.

**Potter Heir Adopted: A True Rags to Riches Story**

_Harry Potter, known to most as the Boy Who Lived, orphaned at the tender age of one. His story is well known to everyone in our world. However, his story just recently added another chapter._

_Sirius Black, long considered the right hand of You Know Who, has adopted his godson, Harry Potter, this past Christmas. He now goes as Harry Potter-Black, clearly not willing to let go of his Potter heritage._

_However, we all must wonder, does Harry know what he is in for, being the adopted son of a man that many still consider to be a dark wizard? For that matter, does Lord Black know what he is in for, adopting the young teen?_

_Sirius Black was imprisoned for the betrayal of his best friends: James and Lily Potter. After days of interrogation by torture, he was left to rot in the worst place on earth: the high security wing of Azkaban, a place that chills all those who even think about it. His past seems to be the prompting factor, a way of making it up to his best friend James by taking in his son, Harry. _

_Mr. Potter-Black seems to be protective of his past, and perhaps there is a reason for that. Raised by his Muggle relatives, he seems to have quite the Cinderella story: a cupboard for a bedroom, routine beatings, and rumors to neighbors that he attends a school for the criminally insane. After coming to Hogwarts, he meets friends for the first time in his sad life, and makes himself a family, which he has never known before. Now, he expands his family even further to include Lord Black, as well as a new godfather.  
_

_The two of them appointed Remus John Lupin to be godfather. Lupin is now once again the Defense Professor at Hogwarts, regardless of the fact that he is a werewolf. One has to wonder at the wisdom of having such a dangerous person as godfather to such a fragile boy. Clearly this is yet another person trying to make up for past sins by taking on this role._

_After all of this, this writer must ask the question: Is this a relationship that is doomed to fail before it begins? Is Mr. Potter-Black's past the reason he made the wild claims of kidnapping and torture this past August? Has he learned to equate violence with love? _

Harry gaped at the article. His godfath-his father was tortured before Azkaban? And the information regarding himself?! His entire body seemed to be numb as he backed up until his back hit the wall.

"Harry!" Hermione was calling, trying to get him to snap out of it. "Harry!"

"Miss Granger," McGonagall snapped, striding quickly towards them. "Why on earth are you yelling at Mr. Potter Black?"

Hermione stared at her, then realized that their professor must be running late for breakfast and hadn't read the paper yet. She wordlessly handed it to her, and watched as she had a similar reaction as Harry. She, however, snapped out of it quickly, and her eyes were ablaze.

"Mr. Weasley, tell the headmaster that I am taking Mr. Potter-Black to my office, to get his father here, and that I am excusing Harry from classes for the day," she ordered, and Ron scampered off. She then turned to Hermione. "You are welcome to follow us there," she said a bit softer. When she nodded, Minerva turned to Harry, who was still pale and shaky. She held his face between her hands and spoke clearly. "Harry Potter-Black," she said firmly, pleased when his eyes sought hers. "I understand this is a shock. Your father will be here shortly, we will meet him in my office."

Hearing the word 'father' made him snap out of it. He balanced himself better, and took a look around for the first time since reading that dratted article. "I want to call the Prophet and find out who wrote that," he said, voice low but poisonous.

Minerva stared in shock as there seemed to be a wind that whipped around them, and she gasped when she saw him turn to glare at the paper in his hands, and drop it as it suddenly caught fire, but none of them were holding wands. She wondered briefly if the encounter in his second year had given Harry a few traits of the basilisk, such as a deadly glare.

"Understood, Mr. Potter-Black. Come with me, we have some discussing to do. You are excused from classes for the day."

Harry was trembling from head to toe with anger. In barely four hundred words, this writer had managed to slander three people who had never deserved it. His anger was beginning to bubble over a bit, and he knew that if he didn't find a way to release it, bad things would happen. "Professor, would you excuse me for a moment?" he gritted out, but didn't wait for an answer. He sprinted through the doors, ran outside, and braced himself against the stone walls of the castle.

Letting the cold seep into him, and focusing on the rough texture of the wall, he sank deep into his meditation. He let go of everything else, letting the stones ground him and give him something to focus on as he forced his fury and indignation into a new vault and sealed it off as tightly as he could.

After a few moments, he slumped, still furious, but wasn't in danger of exploding. "You said that Sirius would be waiting for me?" he asked his professor, peeling himself off of the castle wall, noticing that he wasn't as flush as he had been while reading the article.

She nodded briskly. "He will most likely come to my office, so if you would like to join me there, I can get a few elves to bring breakfast up for us."

Harry refused the breakfast, but accepted a strong cup of tea. It didn't really do anything for him other than give him something to fidget with. The three of them sat in near silence for a few minutes until the door flew open, admitting Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, and Ron.

"This is absolutely outrageous," Sirius bellowed as Ron closed the door again. "I don't care what it takes, that writer is not going to have a job this time tomorrow. If I have my way, he'll never write for another paper in his entire pathetic life."

Dumbledore looked like he was about to argue for the poor writer who unwittingly just signed his own resignation papers, but thought better of it. He had given the two boys enough of a reason to be angry with him; he really didn't want to add to it.

"It's a good thing you decided to be honest about Remus' furry little problem this time around," Harry said acidly. "Otherwise, he would be looking for another job right about now."

Dumbledore sighed and nodded. That was very true.

"The question is, what do we do now?" Harry demanded, standing and starting to pace in the small amount of room left in the now crowded office. "I mean, everyone knows now. About both of us," he said, looking at Sirius, eyes promising a discussion later.

Sirius bowed his head. It was one thing to talk about Harry's past, but Sirius kept his in a tight box that was never opened, except for the occasional nightmare. But he could tell in Harry's eyes that they were going to talk about it, and gave him a tiny nod.

Dumbledore wasn't sure what to say, or do for that matter. Never in all the years that he had been Headmaster, had one of his students been so publicly humiliated before. Sure, if any of them had a small amount of fame, some story or another would appear in the paper, but this was beyond that. Not to mention, it was clear that he had been wrong in the discussion that he'd had with Sirius over the summer. It seemed that the Dursleys were, in fact, awful to Harry, and he couldn't image the damage he had done. "Sirius, you and I will work together to get the Prophet to issue a retraction, and an apology. There isn't much that I can do in the school until then, unfortunately." He sighed again. "I have given up trying to predict how the student body reacts to you, Mr. Potter. I don't believe that any physical attacks will take place, and if they do, you are able to defend yourself, and have the pendent still. I will inform the teachers that they are to take care to be vigilant, and make sure that no verbal attacks are begun, either."

Harry couldn't help the fury that was building up in him, and it was close to boiling point. "How can there be nothing else to be done?" he seethed. "There has to be something that we can do; I know they'll still find ways to take the mickey out of me! They won't care about House points, not to mention Snape will probably give them points for that!"

"Professor Snape," Dumbledore said, more out of habit than anything. He was personally going to have a very long talk with all of the staff regarding the situation. "I do not believe that Severus will behave in any other way than…"

"You know he will!" Harry scoffed, not caring that he had just interrupted the headmaster. "Last year when Skeeter wrote those articles, he read them aloud in class! With a giant smirk on his face the whole time! How are some of the other students supposed to react if they see one of their professors doing the exact thing that he shouldn't be?" He was close to yelling by the end. "This is a lose/lose situation for me. Either I lay down and take it, or I'll be the one in detention for trying to stop it!"

Everyone was in shock, seeing the normally put together teen become so unglued. Harry was panting slightly, staring around at everyone before throwing the paper onto his Head's desk and storming from his Head of House's office, and made a beeline straight for the Room.

When he got in there, he left his wand where it was, and activated 10 dummies, putting all of them at Hogwarts graduate level. The most he had done with that level was four at once, but he needed to burn some of his energy, or he would likely level the immediate area.

* * *

Sirius still could not believe what was happening. When he read the paper that morning, he thought he was having a nightmare, but when he dropped his coffee into his lap, he found that he was plenty awake. He had paced around the house, wondering what to do, when Dumbledore showed up, offering to let him come to the school. He had been prepared for an angry Harry, but what he just witness shocked him. Clearly, his son hadn't dealt with everything quite as well as he'd thought.

He looked around the room. "Well, that wasn't quite what I was expecting," he said mildly, though he was feeling anything but. "Now, I'm going to go talk to him. I'll see you lot at lunch. Don't expect him in classes today," he warned them, and McGonagall shook her head quickly.

He made quick work of walking to the Room and let himself in and placed himself in the corner where he wouldn't be mistaken for a dummy.

Seeing Harry move with such cold fury sent shivers down his spine. Harry seemed aware of where every single enemy was at the same time, and was moving with a fluid grace that was breathtaking. In less time than seemed possible, all the dummies were finished, and Harry stood where he was, panting and looking around, ready for another attack. It was only then that he noticed his father in the corner.

"Thanks for waiting," he commented, still seething, but having a much better hold on his anger now. "If I had seen you there, I might have tried fighting you as well."

"I appreciate the restraint," Sirius said softly, and waved him over to a couch. When they were both seated, he looked at Harry. "Want to talk about it?"

Harry looked away. There were so many thoughts running through his head, he wasn't sure where to start. "Could you tell me what they meant about you?" he asked quietly.

Sirius groaned inwardly. He knew that Harry would ask about it, and part of him knew that it would come up eventually, but he had hoped that time wouldn't be for a while yet. "Well, when they arrested me, there was no proof. Sure, there was Dumbledore's word that I was the secret keeper for your parents, but there was no way to get proof without giving me an actual trial, so they just shoved me in Azkaban. A few weeks later, they came back. It was Crouch, Fudge, and a few other lackeys. I thought they had realized their mistake, and came to let me go, but they didn't." Sirius swallowed, fighting the bile as his memories came forward. "What do you know about Veritaserum?"

Harry bit his lip, knowing he wasn't going like this. "Not much. I just know that there can only be one drop for a minor, and three for an adult."

Sirius nodded. "There's an ingredient in that potion that can be lethal in higher doses. When they arrested me, they gave me three drops. When I told them I was innocent, they thought that I must have used some dark magic to overcome it, so they gave me another three." He clenched his eyes shut as he remembered the pain. "They had to stop the interrogation because I started seizing. When they came back, they gave me 6 drops at once. A few days later, they gave me 10. Twelve is considered the lethal dosage, so they didn't want to go any higher than they already had done." As it was, there was a note in his medical chart, and another at the Ministry, that he now had such a sensitivity towards the truth serum, that if he was given more than two drops, he could go into cardiac arrest.

Harry was horrified. This was the government that allowed this? He shouldn't be surprised, but part of him was.

Sirius looked down. "When that didn't work, they used the Cruciatus. Every day for two weeks. After that, they realized I was never going to admit to betraying your parents, so they left me there to rot." He shuddered, trying to control his emotions as he remembered everything.

Harry fought his rising anger. There was no call for any of that, and if they had managed to look past their narrow minded thoughts, they would have realized that the man was innocent, and had tried to find the man responsible. Knowing that no words could do anything, he reached out and grabbed Sirius's knee, giving it a very tight squeeze, trying to put all of his emotions into that gesture.

Sirius felt his son's grip, and reached down, holding his hand tightly, using it as an anchor, reminding himself that he was past all of that. That was over 10 years ago, and this was now. He relaxed slightly at the thought, and looked down. "What about you? How are you holding up?"

Harry gritted his teeth. "I'll be a lot better once we find out who that asshole at the Prophet is. That article crossed a line, and I want everyone to know what happens when you do something like that. The Black and Potter names deserve better, don't they?"

Sirius nodded. "They do, though I'm not sure what all we can do. To be honest, I never studied law that much. I promise I'll look into it." He hesitated slightly, then decided to go for it. "How much did your friends know?"

Harry didn't have to ask him to clarify that. "Very little," he confessed. "Hermione, Ron and the twins knew the most. I told you how they rescued me before second year, and Hermione's really smart, so she's figured some things out. I never told them specifics, though." He took a shaky breath. "They know me well enough not to treat me any different. I just don't know about the rest of the school."

There were no words for that, so Sirius just squeezed his shoulder. His friends found about his home life early in third year, but they were the only ones who had known. Now the entire Wizarding World knew about Harry's life outside of magic. "Remus is here for you, you know that. And I'm just a mirror call away from you."

Harry just nodded, and the two sat in silence. It was going to be the first test for them as a new family, and they were determined to face it together.

* * *

Sirius ended up leaving before dinner, and Harry decided to brave the school, and sat between Ron and Fred. He chose to keep his head high, telling himself that it was like dealing with animals: show any fear and they would kill you. His classmates were able to tell that he wasn't wanting to talk about it, so they hurried to start a conversation while Hermione filled Harry in on the work that he had missed.

Harry decided that he was finished with the awkward silences, and got up to leave. Ron and Hermione hurried to follow suit, not wanting him to be alone right then, and they started making their way out of the Hall.

Pucey, the Slytherin Chaser who was not part of Malfoy's crew, but still hated Potter, walked up to them. His face was blank as he looked at Harry. "Hey, do you want to play a game of chess before curfew?"

Harry was immediately suspicious and didn't bother hiding it. "Why would you ask?" he demanded.

"Just wondering if you were worried that I would _beat_ you," he sneered, laughing hysterically.

Ron grabbed Harry's arm as his friend was about to leap on him. "Laugh it up, you idiot!" the redhead snarled. True, he had grown up with the twins, but that wasn't even funny!

"What is going on over here?" Minerva demanded, Remus on her heels as they stalked over.

Harry struggled to contain his anger. He knew as soon as he read the article that this would be part of the result. "It's nothing, professors," he said tightly. Ripping his arm out of Ron's grasp, he stormed out of the Hall. He rubbed his head as his scar prickled painfully.

They watched him leave, and Pucey walked back to his table, still chuckling to himself. Ron and Hermione shrugged at the teachers, knowing that they couldn't do anything right then.

Remus sighed as he walked away. He wished there was something that he could do for his godson, but there really wasn't. He would have to wait for Harry to come to him, which would likely not happen any time soon.

His prediction would come true, he would learn. The next few days passed, and everyone could tell that Harry was getting some serious ribbing from his classmates. He was strung so tightly that even his close friends were afraid to say anything to him, unless it was about school work. Mostly, he spent his time in the Room.

If there was one thing that Harry was happy about, it was that his focus was perfect. His essays were excellent, his spell work in classes and out was wonderful. All of his spare time was still in the Room as he learned new spells, studied, practiced wandless and nonverbal spells.

After the first week was over, though, things seemed to be easing. What Harry wasn't aware of was the reason. It turned out that his friends had taken it upon themselves to end the persecution.

Blaise, Theo, and the Greengrass sisters took care of the Slytherins, using every bit of cunning, slyness, and a healthy dose of blackmail for the more stubborn ones; Susan, Hannah, and Justin spoke quite firmly with the Hufflepuffs, reminding them of their motto, not to mention their rather unpleasant history with their treatment of Harry, in second and fourth years, and how it needed to change; Anthony, Luna, Padma, and Cho spoke with the Ravenclaws, giving them clear reminders of times that Harry had been bullied over the years, and how unfair it had been each time. As for the Gryffindors, the twins called a House meeting, but made sure that Harry was in the RoR at the time. As soon as every Gryffindor was there, the yelling started. They made sure not to name names, but made it clear that very bad things would happen to the next person that gave their family a hard time because of the article.

No matter the reason why the harassment stopped, it died down shortly after the simultaneous dressing downs that each House received. Sure, there were still a few people who would drop not so subtle comments, but they were fewer and farther between. Not to mention, Ron would tell the twins who it was, and they would find rather interesting results later that week.

Malfoy, in particular, was getting pranked quite a bit, in direct relation to how often he would quote the article, or do something equally mean. It changed, too; some days it would be that something he ate had him speaking in animal noises for a day, his hair would become frizzy to the point of imitating an afro, or he would end up covered in bright yellow feathers. When that didn't seem to do much, they were able to somehow (and refused to give their secret), slip him a form of Polyjuice that turned him into a copy of Harry himself. That had been a nightmare for the Slytherin, and he'd skipped his first class to keep from being seen. Harry just wondered aloud how someone had managed to get his hairs without him realizing. After two weeks of humiliating pranks, Theo pointed out that it would probably stop if he'd leave Harry alone. After another few days, even Draco started leaving Harry alone.

Harry wasn't stupid, and knew that something must have happened between all of the Houses to get him a break, but he wasn't going to complain. There were a few honest questions from some of the younger years that didn't know him very well, but even they realized that he wasn't going to talk about his past with anyone except his closest friends. After a while, even those questions ended.

Exactly one week after the dratted article was published, Harry received a pleasant surprise when Hermione showed him the headline of the morning edition. Obviously, everything that they had stated the first time had been true, so a retraction was impossible. However, it seemed that the work that Dumbledore and Sirius had done panned out, as an apology had been published to Harry, Sirius, and Remus for the uncouth way that they had worded their prior article. It was a very well written article by a different author, and clearly they were trying to garner a bit of appreciation from the three wizards that had been targeted.

Later that night, he heard from Sirius that the author of the first one had been fired, and was likely blacklisted from many other publications. It turned out that he was a lackey of Lucius', and had been trying to discredit them in a very public way. Thankfully, though, that nightmare was now over.

* * *

**Yay, unity! The Golden Trio are closer than before, as Harry is teaching them Occlumency, and the school (for once) unites for Harry. I'm not going to lie, this chapter was hell to write, and took a lot of editing to get anywhere close to resembling a decent chapter. I hope you all like it now, though.  
**


	24. Chapter 24

**Sorry for the wait on this one. I hit a brick wall for a bit there and was struggling with that evil thing called writer's block. I think I've broken it now, though, and things seem to be moving a bit easier.**

* * *

Once things started settling back into the normal swing of things (as normal as anything ever was at Hogwarts), Harry remembered that he was supposed to be teaching Occlumency to Ron and Hermione. Therefore, he reminded them, and they started spending large amounts of time in the Room, deep in meditation or reading. Harry spent more time on the latter than the other two, since he was so worried about learning Legilimency.

They all agreed that all of their work was helping, as the other two had noticed how much easier it was to focus during classes, and remember information.

Tonight was the first time that Harry was going to attempt Leglimency on both of them, and he was pretty nervous about it. The other two drew straws to see who would go first, and it was Ron.

So the two were standing a few feet apart, with Hermione watching nervously from the sides, and both were holding their wands. Harry knew that he wasn't ready to try this wandlessly yet. "Alright, Ron, remember," he said very quietly, "try to think of nothing, empty yourself of everything."

Ron's face was smooth as he relaxed his body, but his mind was racing. When Harry cast the spell for the first time, nothing happened. He opened his eyes.

Harry cursed himself before forcing himself to relax. "Sorry, that was me. Alright, let's try this again."

They tried several times, and finally Harry was able to cast the spell successfully, but Ron wasn't expecting it. Harry saw flashes of Ron as a young boy at the Burrow, meeting Harry for the first time, and finally he was able to pull back out.

The both of them were bracing their hands on their knees, panting. Hermione hurried over. "Are you two alright?" she asked.

Harry looked up and nodded. That was a lot tougher than he had expected. He truly appreciated for the first time all the work that Sirius had put into teaching this to him over the summer.

Ron was pale, and a bit shaky, so Harry decided that they were done for the night. Hermione looked at him hesitantly. "Are you too tired, or would you mind…"

Harry nodded at her. "Of course, let's go."

So the two of them practiced. The results were nearly the same. It took a bit more time for Harry to cast the spell correctly, and Hermione was unable to keep him out the two times he was able to cast correctly.

All three of them were frustrated, so Harry decided all of them were finished with that for the night, and asked if they wanted to train with the dummies for a while, and they both agreed quickly. They had known that it would take a while, but Ron and Hermione were disappointed. Hermione had hoped to master this discipline very easily, and then she could finally know what had Harry so freaked. She mentally shrugged, and decided that she was just going to work hard at it, much as she did everything else in her life.

* * *

The DA was also running quite well, Harry decided that weekend. The beginner class had master Protego quickly, but he was keeping them on it for another week, as it was a good way to practice casting speeds as well. For the advanced class, Harry had decided it was time to take a break from the formal dueling they had been practicing, and learn Patronuses.

Flitwick was sitting in his usual chair by the door with a grin on his face. He knew that Harry had mastered the spell as a third year, which was nearly a miracle, he had thought then. It was time to see if that was true or not.

"Alright, today we are going to start the Patronus Charm. Can anyone explain to me what it is?" He looked around at the raised hands. "Ernie," he called.

"The Patronus Charm defends the caster against dementors," he said. "In order to cast it, you need to think of a very happy memory, and the charm will act as a shield between you and the dementors."

"Very good," he complimented. "The wand movement is a sweeping motion across your body, like a shield," he said and demonstrated. "The incantation is Expecto Patronum," he said, speaking clearly. "Now, as Mr. MacMillan stated, you have to be thinking of something that makes you happy, or proud, or loved… Anything that is a powerful positive emotion." Looking around, he saw everyone already closing their eyes and thinking. "Okay, take a few minutes, letting your thoughts fill you up."

The class went better than expected, with the majority of the class able to produce weak mist, some with stronger mist, but nearly everyone managed something, though no corporeal Patronuses just yet. Not that he'd expected them from anyone other than maybe one or two of the seventh years. He did, after all, remember how long it had taken him to learn.

He had been surprised to learn that Patronuses hadn't even been covered by the seventh years yet. Flitwick told him that they were such advanced magic, and he normally started them right before Easter break. Harry accepted that, but knew from experience how important even the mist could be.

As usual, he went around the room to take a look at how everyone was doing. All of the seventh years, along with most of the sixth years had produced strong mist, and he encouraged them to keep it up. Hermione's was on the verge of taking form, and he grinned at her. For those that were still struggling to produce mist, including Neville, he told them to pick a different memory, or perhaps one that brought forth a different emotion. Neville shrugged, and took a few minutes to think about it. When he went back to it, a small amount of mist appeared, and Harry congratulated him.

He called the room to a halt ten minutes before class was over. "That was really good for a first day," he told them honestly. "Now, I'm sure a lot of people are going to be wondering why on earth I am teaching a spell this ridiculously advanced." He paused, making sure he had their attention. "Dementors are one of the foulest creatures to walk this earth. They are also one of the most deadly, because they take away your hope, and without hope, you lose the ability to think you stand a _chance_ at fighting. It is only a matter of time before Voldemort decides he wants them on his side again. That is the reason I am doing this. You all deserve the chance to protect yourselves and those you care about."

Flitwick again asked him to stay behind, and waited until Harry closed the door. "That was amazing!" he enthused. "I never would have thought that so many people would be able to produce so much the first time they cast the spell!"

Harry smiled, and they spoke briefly about it before Harry begged off, saying that he needed to get some work done.

* * *

For the most part, Harry was more than happy with the term so far. There were a lot of things that he was working on: Occlumency and Legilimency with Ron and Hermione; Runes with Anthony; Potions with Blaise and occasionally Theo; and his healing lessons with Pomfrey.

Underneath it all, though, he was getting a bad feeling. Part of him knew that things were beginning to escalate outside the protection of the castle. His visions were getting more frequent, as Voldemort began calling more meetings of his inner circle. Harry began sleeping with a Muggle notepad and pen next to his bed in case he needed to write something down, either to inform the Headmaster about, or something to keep in mind that he could think about in the morning. Nothing that he'd seen required him to make a midnight run to Dumbledore's office again, but he figured that it was only a matter of time.

He was upset to realize that typical painkillers did nothing to help with the burning in his scar. The first few mornings he woke with the pain, he would take one of his from his satchel, but he might as well have drank water for all the good it did him. He wondered if a stronger painkiller would do the job, but he really wasn't wanting to mess around with potions like that; at least, not yet.

The paper was starting to get darker, as well. Attacks were escalating in numbers and intensity, though it seemed Voldemort was content to stay in the shadows for now. He seemed to be more than happy to let the Ministry continue to assume that he was weak from his resurrection. The teachers were getting worried, though Harry could tell how hard they tried to hide it. Every morning the teachers would whisper over their papers, and he could tell by their looks how frightened some of them were.

Harry was feeling guiltier by the day. There he was, the supposed savior of the Wizarding world, and he was stuck there, with nothing he could do to help. Hermione and Ron tried talking to him, but he wasn't sure how to feel. On one hand, he was doing everything he could to do his part by learning and teaching. But at the same time, he wasn't doing anything _with_ what he'd learned. Every time the paper came with news of another attack, he fought the guilt that threatened to choke him.

A chance for him to do something arrived in a very unexpected way. He was headed to the Hospital Wing for another lesson from Pomfrey. They had finished concussions rather quickly, and were now on stab wounds, which he was learning quickly. When he entered the Wing, though, his heart stopped.

Poppy was running around, gathering things into a canvas bag, muttering to herself. "Madam?" he asked.

She looked up, distractedly. "Oh, Potter. Your lesson is cancelled today," she said quickly. "There was an attack at a village, and St. Mungo's is overrun with injured. They called me and my sister to help."

Harry started moving, helping her grab potions and salves. "I'm coming with you," he decided.

She looked at him briefly, thinking. She shook her head. "Nonsense, Potter," she said, shouldering the heavy bag. "I know you've been training hard, but…"

"But nothing," he retorted, not caring about his tone with the mediwitch. "People are dying there, and they need help. You'll need all the help you can get. I can take the less injured, giving all of you time to do more for the critical."

She sighed, knowing that she would never be able to talk him out of it, even if she threatened him with detentions. He was as stubborn as his parents combined, which she was well aware of. "Fine," she decided. "But you stay with me, and if I give you an order, I expect you to follow it. If I tell you to leave, you leave. If I tell you to stop healing, you stop. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Harry said quickly, and borrowed a quill and piece of paper, writing a note to McGonagall to tell her where he would be for the rest of the day. Thankfully, it was between classes for some of the younger years, so he ran out of the hall, looking around.

"Dennis!" he yelled, relieved that he was able to spot a trustworthy Gryffindor so quickly.

"Hey Harry!" he said excitedly. Then he saw the frantic look, and became worried. "What's wrong?"

"Dennis, listen, this is very important. I need you to get this to Professor McGonagall as quickly as you can, alright? Don't give it to anyone else but her. Can you do that for me?"

The second year nodded quickly. "You can trust me, Harry. I'll get this to her right away," he promised, holding it tightly as though it were a grenade.

"Thank you," he said fervently, and ran back into the Hospital Wing to find Poppy waiting for him by the Floo.

"Here you go," she said, offering him the bowl.

The two hurried into the fireplace, and emerged in the Mungo's lobby. Harry stared around, seeing dozens of people that were screaming, bleeding, and crying, and he clamped his Occlumency shields into place to control his emotions, and his stomach. He followed his teacher into one of the rooms where she put the bag down.

"Alright, Potter, I need you to be honest with me," she said, looking at him seriously. When he nodded, she continued. "Do you feel more comfortable with potions or spells? I can leave some here for you if you need them. I've seen you do great things with your wand, but spells can be dangerous if you aren't in the right frame of mind to work them."

Harry thought for a moment. He certainly didn't want to risk anyone's life on his pride, but he was confident in his healing abilities. "I can do either. If you need the potions for yourself or one of the interns, I can do what you've taught me."

She nodded, sensing his honesty. "Alright, you're in this room, and I'm in the one next door. I'll make sure you only get the ones you can handle. If you are in any way unsure as to what to do, come find me," she ordered, and he nodded again. "Very well, I'll come check on you in two hours."

Harry nodded, pulling out his wand, and examining the potions she left for him. There were ten of each burn pastes, bruise balms, cut and scrape salves, blood replenishing, calming, and pain potions. Thankfully, they were all marked, but he lined them up perfectly so that he wouldn't confuse them, which would be very bad.

He turned around as the door opened, and two people came in, both cut up pretty badly. He rolled up the sleeves of his robes and set to work.

* * *

The two hours turned into six before Poppy was able to leave her room and check on her student. She was amazed to see him still going, when half the interns were unable to go for more than a few hours at a time before they risked burning themselves out.

"Potter, come here," she ordered as he finished bandaging a woman's arm.

He nodded at her, then looked at his patient. "Remember, keep that dry, and you can change the bandage in a few hours," he told her wearily.

She thanked him and left, passing Poppy on her way out. "How are you holding up?" she asked.

Harry decided that honesty was the best. "I'm getting pretty worn," he admitted shamefully. "I did all spells at first, and when I started feeling a drag on my magic, I knew I had to use the potions, saving my magic for the diagnostic spells mostly."

She smiled at him. "That was pretty smart, kid," she told him. "Thankfully, the worst is over. Let's get you back to the castle."

Harry just nodded. He really was exhausted, and he knew that he needed to rest. Poppy stopped on the way out to ask the mediwitch who had been working triage a question.

"How did he do?" she asked quietly, so that Harry didn't hear.

She smiled. "He was a machine," she confessed. "The people who left were better than before the attack, for the most part. It's a good thing he's still a student, or I'd be worried about my job."

Poppy chuckled, and went back to Harry, pulling him towards the Floo. When they got back, she had to steady him, as he started to stumble. "You need to rest for a while," she ordered him, pushing him onto a bed.

"I'm fine, I just need to eat something," he mumbled, eyes already closing.

"Oh, you will," she promised with a glint in her eyes. "I'll make sure you eat a good meal when you wake up."

Sure enough, he was out like a light, and Poppy wasn't faring much better. She had built up her core to be able to handle days like that, but it had been a while. Just as she was about to head into her quarters, the door opened, and Minerva came in.

"Poppy!" she exclaimed, then quieted as she realized that Harry was sleeping. "What on earth happened?"

Poppy explained about the frantic call from the hospital just as Harry came in, and how she had allowed him to join her. She finished by proudly stating that he had done quite well, saving countless people.

"Wait," Minerva said, confused. "When did he learn healing? He had said in the note that he was helping you, but I didn't know what he would help with."

Poppy looked shocked. "I've been teaching him a few times a month since September," she said. "I had assumed Potter told you."

Minerva shook her head. "He hadn't," she whispered, then turned her attention back to her friend. "Look at me, talking your ear off when you're exhausted. Get some rest, I'll make sure the elves bring up food for the both of you later."

'Later' turned out to be the next day, as both of them slept through dinner, and woke up early, nearly at the same time. Harry looked around, confused for a moment where he was, then remember the day before. Flashes of all the injuries overtook him, and he barely made it to the sink before he threw up.

When he raised his head, he saw a glass of water held out for him. He took it, swirling his mouth and spitting to get rid of the taste. Poppy handed him a vial of stomach settler, which he downed.

She smirked a little at his embarrassed look. "Mr. Potter, everyone loses it their first time in that situation. I have to admit, the fact that you held it together the entire time you were there was impressive."

Harry shrugged. "There were so many people who needed help. I guess I just held it back until later."

She nodded. "Well, I think it's time for some breakfast."

Harry hesitated. "Actually, would it be alright for me to go to the Great Hall?" he asked. "I'm sure my friends are worried, since they didn't see me last night, and I want to let them know I'm alright."

She nodded. "That's fine, you're pretty well rested. Just make sure you eat enough, alright?"

He nodded. "That won't be a problem," he said fervently. Then he bit his lip, wondering how to phrase his inquiry.

Poppy looked at him. "What is it?"

"I was wondering if I could do that again," he blurted out. He collected himself and tried again. "I would like to help you again. I mean, it's what you've been teaching me for, right?"

Poppy considered. It was true that Potter was learning healing very quickly, and he was quite helpful the night before; more so than she had expected. "We'll see," she compromised, but she knew that the young man would, in fact, be joining her again.

Harry just nodded. "Thank you, Madame," he said, and headed for the door.

"No, Mr. Potter, thank you," she whispered. That boy reminded her of his mother with every passing day.

Harry made his way to the Great Hall, stomach growling in protest to going a while without food, and using so much magic had only increased his appetite. He sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Neville.

"Harry, what happened to you?" his friend demanded.

Harry wondered what he meant, when he realized that there was still blood and soot on his robes, as neither he nor Poppy had thought to change. "Oh, that's, uh," he stuttered, unsure of what to say.

"Merlin, mate, what happened to you?" he heard Ron demand from behind them.

"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"Hey guys. I'm fine, really. I spent the evening with Madame Pomfrey at St. Mungo's. A village was attacked by Death Eaters, and they needed help. She was leaving just as my lesson was about to start, and I convinced her to let me come and help," he told them quietly. He wasn't sure if he had broken the rules by leaving the castle last night, now that he was thinking about it. Then he shook his head. He had been in the company of the school nurse, and his Head had been informed.

The three stared at him, amazed. Hermione smiled though. She knew that it had been a good experience for her friend, getting the chance to do something good. She and Ron had been more than aware of how upset every attack had been making him, and was pleased to see the frustrated look gone from his face, even if it was only for the day.

Harry piled his plate with food as soon as it appeared, and he filled himself. He had no idea just how hungry last night had made him.

"Mr. Potter-Black, may I have a word with you?" McGonagall requested from behind him, just as he was draining his coffee mug. He chocked slightly, and nodded, nearly tripping as he stood and followed her to her office.

As soon as the door closed, he was rambling, trying to explain himself. "I know I should have changed this morning, professor, but I didn't even think about it. And I know that I missed my Astronomy class last night, but I just thought that Madame Pomfrey and the others at St. Mungo's needed help so badly, and I know that…"

"I know, Mr. Potter-Black," she interrupted, holding back a grin at his explanations. "I will not say that I approve of you skipping class, but this was an extraordinary circumstance. As for your attire, I trust you will change before my class in an hour?"

Harry nodded. "Of course!"

"Now, I do have one question for you." She waited until he was looking at her, and she softened her voice slightly. "Why didn't you tell me you were taking extra lessons with Poppy?"

Harry was surprised, as he hadn't been expecting that question. Then he thought about it. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I mean, I didn't think it was a really big deal, you know? I started reading about it during the start of term, and asked her if she would mind teaching me. I made sure that it didn't interfere with my classes or my studies, I promise."

She gave him a rare smile. "I believe you, and I think it's very smart of you to learn. Well, I expect you would like a chance to clean up before class."

He nodded again and hurried up to the Tower to shower and change into clean clothes, pondering whether or not it would be worth it to burn his current ones, unsure if he would be able to wear them again without thinking about what had happened. He was also mulling over an idea that was making him question his sanity. He would need some time to think on it before he acted, though.

After classes were finished, Harry met Neville in the Entrance Hall after Herbology. They still had over three hours before dinner, and Harry had an idea of what to do. He evaded Neville's questions and led him down to the dungeons.

Officially sure that he was no longer sane, he knocked on the door of one of their professors. Their least favorite one, in point of fact.

Snape opened the door, and to say that he was surprised to see his two least favorite students there would be a gross understatement. "Potter, Longbottom," he barked. "What are you two doing down here?"

Harry stayed calm and looked at the Potions teacher. "I was wondering if Neville and I could use the potions classroom, and some of the ingredients," he wondered politely.

Snape stared at him, then rubbed his temples. He had both Skele-Grow for the hospital and the Wolfsbane potions for Remus brewing behind him that he needed to get back to. "Do whatever you want, just don't blow yourselves up; I don't want to have to clean it up," he snapped, and slammed the door.

Harry grinned. That went better than he had expected, and he led the way to the classroom. He pulled out two of the massive cauldrons for himself, and one of the medium sized ones for Neville. He had just gotten to the cupboard when Neville was tired of waiting for answers.

"Harry, what are we doing here?" he demanded.

Harry stopped what he was doing and turned to his friend, and motioned for him to sit. "Alright, you know that I went to Mungo's last night, right?" When Neville nodded, he continued. "Well, they went through a ton of potions, and Pomfrey nearly depleted the school's potions to take as well. I thought that we could make some to give back to the school, so that Snape just has to concentrate on the more difficult ones."

Neville scoffed at him. "Have you lost your mind?! I'm horrible at Potions, you know that. I'd probably end up in Azkaban for poisoning someone if they used my potions."

Harry stopped him. "Listen, you've improved a lot this term. Besides, I was just thinking that you could start off with bruise balm," he soothed. "It's a second year potion that you should have no problems with. If you need help, I'll be right here."

Neville looked at his friend, and nodded reluctantly, hoping that his trust wasn't in vain. So he stood and accepted the second year book from Harry so that he made sure he followed the pattern correctly. He looked over as Harry started gathering armfuls of ingredients. "What are you going to be making?" he asked.

Harry looked up. "Burn paste and a blood replenishing," he said quickly, dumping them down and setting to work. He started the blood replenisher first, since it took longer. He'd made those two so often he didn't even have to look at the book for anything.

The two worked in amicable silence for a while, and Harry looked up when he heard Neville take the cauldron off the flames. He waited a few moments until he took off his own paste, and the blood replenisher was simmering. He went over and grinned as he looked in the cauldron. "This looks great, Neville!" he said.

Neville blushed. "It was just a second year potion," he mumbled.

They looked up as the door opened, and Blaise walked in. "I heard there were two Gryffindors down here," he explained with a smirk. "I knew one was you, but I wasn't sure who the other was."

"Hey," Neville said nervously.

"Hey," Blaise said, then looked at Harry. "Didn't want to wait for tomorrow?" he asked, referring to their usual time for brewing.

Harry shrugged. "Actually, I'm just making a few things for the school's infirmary. I know that there was an attack last night, and Pomfrey had to take a lot of the school's potions with her."

Blaise's eyes widened at that, and he thought intently for a minute. The Zabini's were famous for staying neutral in both the first war, and the current one. However, he didn't think that it would be declaring himself a follower of the light if he brewed potions to help the innocents that could be injured. At the very least, he was doing it for the school.

He rolled up his sleeves and pulled out a couple cauldrons of his own, though there was only two hours before dinner. "What should I make?" he asked.

Harry grinned at his Slytherin friend, and set him to making a batch of pain potions, before turning back to his blood replenishing potion. Neville started bottling and labeling his balm and Harry's paste, watching in awe as Harry started a batch of scrape salve, and Blaise was working on his own. He decided to make another batch of the balm, just for the practice. He knew that if nothing else, he owed it to his parents, as they were being cared for in St. Mungo's, and he was more than happy to do his own part in helping.

By the time dinner was ready, the three wizards were sweaty, but proud. There were four vials of pain potion, eight of blood replenishing, ten bruise balms, four burn pastes, and eight scrape salves.

"Well, it might just be a dent, but it's certainly helpful," Harry said, wiping the sweat off his face. Neville nodded, and flushed when Blaise complimented him.

"Should we take this up there now?" Blaise asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I think it would be best. That way we don't have to worry about any of it breaking during dinner."

They agreed, and carefully bagged their hard work, and made their way up to the Hospital Wing, finding the mediwitch frowning as she took inventory of her stock. "Think these might help?" Harry called, and she turned around, gaping at everything that they handed her.

"What on earth?" she gasped.

"Harry thought you might need some help restocking," Blaise told her, "so me and Neville chipped in."

"That was very generous," she praised. "25 points to Slytherin and 50 to Gryffindor."

The three wizards grinned at each other and left for dinner. Blaise knew that he was getting strange looks, walking in with two Gryffindors, but he didn't care. He found that Neville was actually kind of cool to hang out with. Not as much as Harry, but the other boy did know a lot, and it was nice to talk to another pureblood about some of the lame parties that they had both been dragged to over the years.

"Want to sit with us?" Harry offered, and Blaise only hesitated for a moment before accepting.

The entire Gryffindor table was amazed. Though House lines had faded dramatically since the start of the DA, the only Gryffindor to sit with the Slytherins was Harry, and so far, no Slytherins had sat at the Gryffindor table.

Harry worked hard, though to make sure that everyone felt comfortable around Blaise, who really was one of the good guys.

Remus was watching his new godson with pleasure. It was nice to see Harry being so accepting of everyone else, just like his mother had been. His thoughts of Lily were interrupted when Poppy joined them, running a bit late, and sat between him and Minerva.

"Is everything all right in the Hospital Wing?" the Transfiguration teacher asked.

Poppy nodded as she filled her plate. She found that she was still hungry after the day before. "Actually, it's more than alright. Potter, Longbottom, and Zabini brewed 34 bottles and vials of various potions for the Wing," she announced.

Minerva and Severus dropped their cutlery at the same time. "What?" they both exclaimed.

She nodded. "I was amazed, myself. But I added points for each of them. I guess Potter must have realized how much he and I went through yesterday, and they came in just now with quite a bit. Nothing over fifth year material, of course, but certainly unexpected."

"Wait, what happened yesterday?" Remus asked. He had been grading papers the day before, and had a full day of classes, so he hadn't heard.

"My, Harry didn't tell you?" she asked, and he shook his head. "There was an attack last night. St. Mungo's called, begging me to come, and Potter insisted on joining me. He was there for hours, and truly helped me out."

Remus was shocked. He had no idea, and he doubted Harry told Sirius yet. He vowed to corner his godson after dinner. Looking over at the Gryffindor table, though, he couldn't help the streak of pride that he felt. He knew that he couldn't lecture the teen, because he was able to see the light in his eyes, which had been dimming with each new attack. It seemed as though doing at least this bit had helped him. He sat back with his glass and sighed.

When Harry got upstairs to the dorm room, he grabbed the small mirror and leaned back, pleased to be in his own bed again. "Sirius Black," he said clearly.

A moment passed, and Sirius picked up the mirror. "Hey pup, how's everything going over there?" he asked. He was always happy to hear from his son.

Harry smiled and told him everything from the day before, and then today. He spoke of the horrors that he'd witnessed, but how happy he was that he had been able to do something that made a difference, even if it was just something small.

Sirius was gobsmacked. His son had done all that? He grinned ruefully: it shouldn't be a shock that Harry did so much. If there was one thing he knew about Harry, it was how much he hated sitting on the sidelines of this war. If he couldn't be out there fighting the Death Eaters himself, at least he could be helping those who were affected by them.

* * *

**So, I like this chapter. I can't see Harry out fighting, but with all of the work he'd done with Poppy, he would find a lot of joy in doing what he could. I might have stretched things by having Neville helping Harry brew, but it fits. He, like Harry, needs to know that he can do something worthwhile to help. He just needs a nudge.  
**


	25. Chapter 25

**I'm so glad that you all liked the Neville parts and the St. Mungo scenes from the last chapter. I really do think that Harry needed something to do in order to help before he joined in the fighting.**

* * *

The next day, Harry felt much better. He had decided to relax after dinner the night before, giving himself a day off of training to give his magical core a chance to recharge. He knew that he had pushed it at the hospital, but it had been impossible to stop when so many people needed help. Thankfully, though, it was a Saturday, and he intended on spending a lot of it in the Room. Given how much of his time lately had been spent with others teaching and learning, he had not been doing much of his own training; either with the dummies, or even just trying wandless and nonverbal spells at the same time, which he was still struggling with.

So he did his morning exercise routine, and started making his way to breakfast, when he was interceded by Daphne and Clare.

"Hey Harry, can we talk to you for a minute?" Clare asked.

Harry looked at them for a moment, then nodded, leading them to an empty classroom. "What's up?" he asked.

Daphne and Clare exchanged looks, both unsure of what to say, until Daphne sighed. "We heard about what you did the other day," she started. "How hard is it to learn healing?"

Harry was surprised, as it wasn't what he had expected. Then he focused on the question. "It depends," he answered honestly. "Some people find it as simple as breathing, others can't understand it. Why do you ask?"

Clare was the one who spoke this time. "We were wondering if you could teach us," she blurted out.

Harry gaped at them. "What?"

Daphne smirked. "Would you be willing to teach us the basics, at least? I'm sure that we could work together to figure some of it out, but it would help us if we could learn from someone, at least at the beginning."

Harry sighed. His schedule was getting more and more packed by the day, but he could hardly say no, now could he? "Alright, look," he relented. "I don't have a whole lot of free time, okay? But I think I can manage about once a week, for a few hours. Maybe Sundays after lunch?" he suggested.

Both the girls nodded quickly. "That sounds great!" Clare said. "Trust me, you won't regret this," she promised.

Harry held up a hand. "Alright, but wait for a minute. In order for everything to make sense, I'll need you both to do some reading during the week," he warned. He pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down the titles of two healing books he'd read. "See if you can find these in the library. If they aren't there, then try to owl order them from Flourish and Blotts. It's worth the money, I promise."

The girls were ecstatic and each hugged him before they hurried into the Great Hall. He followed them a bit more slowly, and chose to sit at the Hufflepuff table, where he saw Susan already eating. "You mind?" he asked, gesturing to the chair.

Susan nodded, waving her fork at him to sit. She took a quick drink, and looked at him closely. "You look as though you made a deal you already regret," she said, chuckling. Harry wasn't her type, but she couldn't help but think he looked cute when he was sulking like that.

"Maybe because I did," he answered, starting to eat as well.

"Care to elaborate?" she pressed, and he sighed, explaining what had just happened. She smiled at him. "You know, I don't think you will regret it."

Harry snorted. "I know, but I'm so busy right now, and I'm falling behind in my Arithmancy classes. I know that I don't technically have to take the OWL with everyone else, I can take it next year if I wanted to, but I want to get caught up with everyone. I just don't have a lot of time right now to beat this stuff into my head."

She grinned at him. "Do I hear a plea for help?" she asked. Seeing that he was about to say no, she sighed. "I know you don't like to ask for help, Potter, but I really don't mind. Like I said, you've done a lot for all of us with the DA, which I guarantee will help people pass their Defense OWLs. So how about tomorrow after breakfast we go to the library and you show me what you're working on?"

Harry quickly agreed, and decided that maybe he didn't mind the deal after all. He'd get help with the subject he was struggling with, and he would be helping two others learn healing, which would come in handy for them. He finished eating and made his way to the Room, deciding to spend the first several hours on his school work, since he really didn't want to get behind, and they were being assigned ridiculous amounts every day. As soon as he set aside his final essay, the door opened, and Ron and Hermione came in. They had just come from the library, doing to same as him.

"So, what do you want to work on right now?" Ron asked.

Harry thought for a moment, and stood. "You know what? We're taking a break," he decided.

Hermione grinned. "You know, I think that's a great idea. You've been working nonstop for weeks. Let's go sit by the lake for a while."

"You guys want to invite Ginny and the twins?" Ron asked, and the other two agreed, and went up to the Tower to invite them.

Soon enough, the six of them were relaxing by the melting lake. Sure, it was still pretty chilly, but it was early March, and things were definitely thawing. When they got cold enough, they started waked around it.

Ron struck up a conversation with Hermione and Ginny, so Harry hung back to talk to the twins. "So, any new products lately?" he asked.

They shrugged. "We've been studying for our NEWTs, mostly," Fred answered glumly.

"All the studying must have fried our brains, because we haven't thought of a new one in a few weeks," George continued, staring out at the scenery.

Harry decided to suggest an idea he'd had for a while. "Hey, have you guys ever heard of what Muggles call 'flash-bangs'?" he asked. When they shook their heads, he went on to explain. "They are used to disorient an enemy," he started. "When you throw it, you only have a few seconds, but they give off a bright light that messes with their eyes, and a loud noise that hurts their ears. They're pretty effective. Maybe you could create some kind of magical version?" he suggested.

That was all he had needed to say, apparently, because the twins were off, discussing what they could do, whether they should use potions or charms or both, how long the delay should be, among other things. Harry gave himself a pat on the back for a good idea.

All of them hurried back to the castle for lunch, then they all went to see the Hufflepuff vs. Slytherin Quidditch match, the fourth game of the year. Slytherin was barely able to pull out with a lead after Malfoy caught the Snitch, winning 500-420. At dinner, he sat at his own table, not wanting to show favoritism after such a brutal game.

After dinner, Harry decided to take a walk around the castle before heading to the Room. He knew that he had accomplished almost nothing that day, but he was okay with that. Once in a while, you just need a good day and time to relax and de-stress before you end up snapping. And sure enough, he'd had a great day with his friends.

* * *

He really needed to stop jinxing himself, he thought to himself as he heard sounds of a fight the corridor over. Thankfully, he realized that they were really close to Remus' quarters, and he could get a professor if need be. So Harry pulled out his wand and walked quietly around the corner, and what he saw made his blood boil.

Zacharias Smith, who was a member of the DA, but always had an attitude that reminded him of Malfoy, was bullying a second year Slytherin, who Harry recognized as the Keeper for Slytherin.

"What, you think you're too good, is that it, huh?" Smith was sneering at the kid, pushing him hard into the concrete wall, and laughing when he fell. Then he reached down to pull the kid up by his hair.

"LET HIM GO!" Harry roared, sending out two Stunners, both aimed with deadly precision at Smith, who crumpled to the ground. Harry went up to the younger kid and knelt down. "Hey, are you alright?"

The boy whimpered slightly, and grabbed his head. Harry wasted no time in casting a diagnostic spell, which showed that he had a very mild concussion. Even though it wasn't serious, Harry was still fuming at the fact that it had been inflicted by a member of his own club.

A door slammed open, and Remus came running. "Harry, what happened?" he demanded.

"Smith here was bullying. We need to get Smith to Dumbledore, and he can decide a fitting punishment."

Suddenly, Remus shuddered slightly, and turned to leave. "Remus?" Harry called, concerned. When his teacher didn't turn around, he went up to him.

"Full moon, Har," Remus said quickly, shuddering again. "I took the potion, don't worry, but I still can't be here when I change, you know that. I'd be fired on the spot. But the fact that I'm furious is not helping matters. I'm worried that the potion isn't going to do much," he confessed in a whisper before shuddering again.

Harry was thinking frantically. "Alright, get down to the Shack, just to be safe?" he asked, and Remus nodded, knowing he needed to remove himself from the scene. Moonrise wasn't for a few more hours, but he wanted to be safe. It wasn't uncommon for werewolves who were furious to transform a bit ahead of schedule, so to speak. He knew that Greyback took advantage of that quite often.

Harry went back to the other two, and knelt by the boy. "Hold my hand," he told him, and motioned for him to grab Smith. Then Harry grasped his portkey that Dumbledore gave him, but he still always wore, and whispered the activation phrase. They were yanked from the corridor, and landed in Dumbledore's office.

"Harry?" Albus demanded, coming from around his desk. "What exactly is the meaning of this?"

"I'm sorry, professor, I didn't know how else to get them both here," Harry told him, and pulled out his wand again, sitting the Slytherin on one of the chairs, going over his head to find the exact center of the wound that was still bleeding. "Smith there must have been upset at losing the match today, because I saw him bullying this kid," he said, and smiled triumphantly as he found the spot he was looking for. Two muttered spells later, one for the concussion itself, and the other for the bruising, and he was finished. "I thought it best to bring them both here for you to deal with."

Albus stared at the young man. This was the second act of bullying that Harry had intervened on. Was that merely a coincidence, or was there quite a bit more bullying going on in his school than he had imagined? He sighed, feeling very weary. "Thank you, Harry, for your quick thinking. You may go. I'll ask you for your statement tomorrow at breakfast."

"Very good, Headmaster," Harry said, and left the room. Without taking another moment to think about it, he hurried out the main doors of the castle, and looked around once to make sure no one could see him, and transformed. He ran for the Willow, and dove down the passageway without bothering to freeze the tree.

By the time he got down there, Remus was in the process of changing. Infinitely relieved that he was in his animal form, and not his human one, he blocked the door.

Moony was confused. He knew that this was his cub, but he didn't understand what he was doing there. He just knew that he was furious with that wizard for harming someone smaller and weaker than he was. He wanted revenge. For some reason, though, his cub wouldn't move from the door, and the last thing he wanted to do was to hurt his cub. So he stayed where he was, and eventually, the two canines started wrestling for fun. However, Harry never left the door, just to be safe.

Harry was having much more fun than he would have thought. Now he understood why Sirius and James had been so willing to do this every month for their friend. In addition to the fact that he knew it was helping Remus, it was so much fun to spend time in his wolf form. He had never spent more than a few minutes in it since using it to escape during the summer, and never had much use for it since. This, though... this was fun!

* * *

The next day, Remus woke with a soft groan. He looked around, confused. He barely remembered why he came to the Shack instead of staying in his office, and looked around. He was amazed when he saw Harry in his wolf form lying across the doorway.

Forcing himself to stand, he made his way over, and shook Harry awake. Wolf-Harry yawned widely, showing off the sharp teeth, and he transformed back.

"Hey, Remus, morning," he said somewhat groggily.

"Harry, what happened last night?" Remus asked slowly, still trying to remember.

Harry stopped mid stretch and stood. He looked his godfather in the eyes. "There was a fifth year bullying a second year down the hall from your quarters. Moony must have gotten very upset, so I suggested you come down here to cool off. After I took care of the two students, I came down here to make sure you were alright."

Remus stared at him. He was suddenly filled with shame, but before he could get a word out, Harry stopped him.

"Don't," he ordered. "Of course Moony was upset at what happened. I was fuming, for Merlin's sake! You didn't hurt anyone, you didn't transform in front of anyone; and I know for a fact that it would have been the same even if I wasn't here. Maybe I just wanted to introduce Shadowpaw to another member of his pack," Harry said, waiting for a reaction.

Remus looked at him, touched that he would stay with him during a transformation. "You consider me a member of your pack?" he asked, then stopped, and felt a grin creep up on his face. "Shadowpaw?"

Harry chuckled self-consciously. "I was thinking last night that I needed a nickname, too, and with the color of my fur, I just thought that it would fit." Then he stopped, and started stuttering. "I-I didn't mean to presume anything, Remus. I know that your guys all had nicknames when you were younger, and I guess... I don't need a nickname..."

"Harry!" Remus stopped him. "I think Shadowpaw is a great name, and very fitting. I really am glad that you wanted to spend the moon with me, it meant a lot. As your professor, I shouldn't approve, and should likely think of lines, point deductions..." He laughed when he saw Harry get indignant. "However, as your godfather, I think I'll have temporary amnesia that you were down here. In fact, I think I'll have a recurring bout of amnesia the night of the full moon for the rest of term. Assuming, of course, you get your father's permission." He didn't want to think about what would happen to him if Sirius decided to get overprotective. Best to err on the side of caution, he thought.

Harry grinned, gave Remus a big hug, and they went up to get a big breakfast. They were both quite hungry after spending the night in their canine forms.

* * *

After breakfast, Dumbledore called Harry to his office to talk about the event the night before. Harry told him everything, but left out anything to do with Remus. He knew that the headmaster was fair, but didn't want to endanger his godfather's job. Dumbledore didn't comment, but thanked him and sent him off.

While Harry was headed back to the common room, he was thinking. That was the second bully that he had encountered who was in his club. The mere thought of that was enough to make his blood boil. He thought about what he could do. He knew that he couldn't say anything during the DA; people would get upset and think they were being unfairly scrutinized. Suddenly, he had a thought that made him grin.

He entered the Common Room and looked around, finding the three Chasers in a corner talking over the paper. "Angelina, Katie, Alicia," he greeted, voice low.

Katie was the first to pick up on it. "Harry, what's wrong?" she asked, looking around, and Angelina cast a privacy ward around them.

He explained the two instances of bullying that he had stopped, and how both times they were started by someone in the DA.

The girls looked about as furious as he was. "What do you want us to do?" Katie asked, eyes hard. She had dealt with bullying before coming to Hogwarts and wasn't about to let anyone else go through that.

Harry smiled at them. "Look, you are the most popular and charismatic trio that I know," he admitted. "What I want, for a little while, any way, is to get a couple people to make rounds once in a while. I don't care what year or House you can get to help you, but I want to show bullies that I don't accept their behavior, especially ones that I've taught."

Alicia nodded. "You can count on us, Harry," she said resolutely.

Harry thanked them and made his way up to his room so that he could grab his mirror. "Sirius?" he asked, and waited.

A few minutes later, Sirius's face appeared. "Hey, kiddo. How's school going?"

"It's going pretty well. There was something that I needed to talk to you about, because I was told that I needed my father's permission."

Sirius thought about that, confused. The only thing he could think of that needed any type of guardian permission at the school was Hogsmeade, and Harry had been allowed to go since he'd written the note at the end of third year. "What's going on?"

"Well, first you should know that this wasn't planned, it just kind of happened," Harry started, not wanting Sirius to think that he had planned to do this before asking him about it. When he saw Sirius waiting patiently, he continued. "I stayed at the Shack last night in my wolf form with Moony. I knew that he was upset, and I wanted to make sure he was going to be alright. He said that I could keep him company on the full moons, but only if you gave me permission."

Sirius's eyes widened. He knew that there wasn't really a danger, since Moony was used to being around other animals, and would never hurt Harry. "Alright, you can," he said, and raised a hand when Harry let out a whoop of joy, "under two conditions."

"Name them!" Harry said, still grinning.

"You stay in the Shack," he said seriously. "Yes, we went out with Moony when we were younger, but you know what could happen if Moony lost control if there was a human around, and I don't want you getting hurt trying to protect anyone."

"Stay in the Shack the entire time. Got it," Harry repeated, completely understanding where he was coming from on that one. "What's the other one?"

"You have to think of something other than 'my wolf form'," he said, grinning.

"What if I already had an idea?" Harry asked, and laughed at the eager look on Sirius's face. "I was thinking Shadowpaw."

Sirius considered, and nodded. "That isn't bad. I approve. Believe it or not, I had to veto James' ideas about four times, they were just absolutely ridiculous."

"Really?" Harry snorted at the thought. "What were some of his ideas?"

* * *

Before he knew it, Harry realized that it was the last week in March. He had been so busy that he hadn't realized how quickly time was passing by. The advanced class of the DA was now working on mock battles, using different numbers to fight; the beginner class was learning how to use Charms and Transfiguration in a duel. It seemed as though everyone was enjoying themselves, he had to admit.

His lessons with Ron and Hermione were going slowly, but there was progress. Harry was able to cast the spell correctly every time, and Hermione was getting good at repelling him from her mind before he saw too much, and her individual shields were getting better by the day. Ron was improving, though a bit slower. He was still struggling to throw Harry out, but he worked on it diligently.

He, Blaise, and Theo realized that they had already brewed every potion that could be covered on their OWLs. Therefore, they made the fifth year potions that were healing potions and made plenty. Poppy had stopped commenting every time they brought in a bag of potions, but continued to give them points each time. Neville had been joining them most of the time, but worked on the slightly easier potions. His progress, however, was beginning to show during their Potions classes. Snape appeared amazed at his improved abilities, and had to bite back several of his usual snide comments.

The healing lessons were going quite well, in Harry's opinion. He had joined Poppy on another trip to St. Mungo's, getting the frantic call during dinner. His extra training had helped, as the hospital had been flooded with people, Muggles included. Their memories were wiped after healing, though Harry was glad that he hadn't had to do the erasing. He had read up on Memory Charms, of course, but was not ready to risk someone's mind for practice. They had stayed at the hospital for nearly ten hours before they were able to leave, and McGonagall had excused Harry from classes the next day, which he was grateful for, as they had arrived back to the castle as people were getting up for breakfast.

It was a Saturday, and he only had one more week before spring break. Harry was admittedly very nervous about the dueling competition, but Ron and Hermione assured him that he would definitely not embarrass himself. The biggest worry was that he might accidentally display his wandless or nonverbal skills, which no one but Ron, Hermione, Sirius, and Remus knew about, and he wanted to keep it that way for now. It gave him an edge that he didn't want to lose because of a competition.

There was a Quidditch match scheduled for that day, Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff, right after lunch, which Harry was really looking forward to. While a lot of people thought that the badgers' policy of having a relatively clean game was a weakness, Harry appreciated it. It showed that they stood by their morals of being fair and loyal. Of course, this was going to be the first game he'd played against Hufflepuff without Cedric on the team, and that sent a pang through his heart.

While Harry was making his customary morning run around the pitch, he thought about the rest of his friends. Not just Ron and Hermione, but the others. True, he was already busy beyond belief, but he couldn't help but worry about them. There was always a chance that by following him, they would be targeted by Voldemort or his followers. Didn't they deserve to have a bit of extra training, just in case something were to happen? He couldn't bear the thought of someone being hurt in an attempt to get to him. Perhaps he could tell them about the Room, giving them a place and a chance to get some extra training done? He would start with a couple of them, and see what would happen from there, he decided.

He chose to do it right after breakfast, not wanting to give himself a chance to back out. He rounded up Neville, the twins and Ginny, Susan and Justin, Anthony and Lisa, and Blaise and Daphne. Blaise was a bit different from the others, in regards to his views on the war. The teen appeared to take his family's neutrality very important, maintaining a friendship with Harry while taking the DA classes, but refrained from any comment about the war if it was brought up.

He asked them to meet him by the tapestry across from the Room, and brought Ron and Hermione for moral support. They told him that they would back his decisions about anyone else he chose to help train.

As soon as everyone was there, he cast a privacy spell that he had read about and been practicing for a moment like this. Hermione had told him that it worked well, so he was reassured that no one could hear their conversation.

"Alright, I guess that all of you are wondering why I asked you to come up here, right?" he said, and everyone nodded. He sighed. He was used to speaking in front of a large group of people because of the DA, but was more than a bit terrified how this meeting would go. "Well, I've been doing a lot of thinking this year. As I'm sure all of you are aware, I'm pretty much number 1 on Voldemort's hit list," he said, and noted with pleasure that only a few of them shuddered at the name. "Unfortunately, that makes any and everyone who chooses to ally themselves with me, targets as well." He saw Justin about to say something, but he held up a hand for his silence. "Just give me a moment longer, then I will let any of you say what you want. So, being considered a friend of mine is likely just as dangerous as being allied with me. All of you are people that I consider my friends. The fact that there is a member of each House here is certainly an added bonus, but not very relevant to me. All I care about is the safety of everyone I care about. To that end," he said a bit louder, standing up straighter, "I am offering all of you a chance to learn a few of my secrets, and have lessons with either myself, or Ron and Hermione, who have been training with me for quite a while now. I'm asking for no promises in exchange for these lessons except that you take them seriously, as we are at war, and a bit of discretion, as I'm sure quite a few people in the DA would like to be in something like this."

There was complete silence for a full minute after he finished, everyone processing what he had said.

"What exactly do you mean by training?" Blaise asked, his mind reeling. Sure he enjoyed being around Harry, but something like this was going to take quite a bit of considering.

"Good question. There is a place in this castle that I have been using since Halloween on a near daily basis to practice new spells, perfect old ones, and practice dueling. Hermione and Ron joined me slightly before Christmas break."

"Well, my family has always been on Voldemort's list because of our stance on his last war," Susan said firmly. "He has already killed far too many members of my family, so I would be completely beholden to you for extra training, if it means that I would be capable of protecting myself and my family."

"We're in, too," Fred said.

"Everyone knows where our family stands," George continued.

"You're considered right up there with the headmaster as being a leader of the light side, so I'm with you," Ginny finished, getting a clap on the shoulders from the twins.

"Me, too," Neville and Justin said at the same time, grinning at each other.

Anthony and Lisa exchanged a look. They were close friends over the past few years, being study partners, and possibly becoming something a bit more serious. "I guess I never really thought about the fact that being your friend could become dangerous," Lisa admitted. "However, I've learned over the years that you stand by your friends no matter what, especially if you consider them close."

Daphne just nodded at him, as she was generally a woman of short words around others. When Clare was there, she could turn giggly in the blink of an eye, but she took her title as Ice Princess pretty seriously from what he could tell.

Blaise shrugged. "I'm not dedicating myself to following you, should you face him eventually," he warned, "but I won't say no to some help preparing for the eventual fight."

Harry bit his lip to control his emotions. "I would never ask any of you to risk your lives for me, you know that. I would simply sleep better if I knew that all of your were able to protect yourselves if it every came down to a fight." He cleared his throat. "Well, thank you all for agreeing to this. Like I said, I really don't want a lot of people to know about this group just yet. The DA is already big enough, and with OWLs coming up for most of us, I want to keep this group this size for now."

They all nodded, and Daphne looked around. "So, are we starting now, or was this just a decision making time?"

Harry grinned. "We can start now if all of you want to?" When they nodded, Harry went to pacing in front of the wall, getting more than a few strange looks, but he ignored them and thought of a room that would be big enough for all of them to train in. When the door appeared, he waved everyone in, getting wide smiles from Ron and Hermione. They both were pleased about the result of the meeting.

When Harry closed the door, he was happy with what the Room had provided. It was a much larger space than usual, with plenty of training dummies and targets. A bookshelf immediately drew the attention of Lisa, and Anthony had to jokingly hold her in place before she immersed herself.

"Alright, we'll want to start off with finding out where everyone is at," Harry decided, and saw that the targets were aligned perfectly for all of them. "So, these targets measure not only accuracy, but also power. So, how about everyone pick a target, and cast 20 stunners, and we'll go from there."

It ended up being a really good day. Harry, Ron, and Hermione worked with the other ten members to see where they were and what they needed to work on most. Thankfully, as they were all some of the smartest people in the year, they didn't really need a lot of help figuring things out. Instead of similar to a DA class, it was more self teaching, just having more information to go on. It was quite refreshing, in Harry's opinion. As much as he loved the DA, at times he felt like he was spoon feeding a lot of the students.

They stayed there until lunchtime. Harry shooed them all out to get something to eat, but before they left, he made a parting comment.

"I'm very grateful all of you are so willing to work extra, and I know it's because you understand the risks of being close to me, and I appreciate that you didn't all run for the hills when you had the chance. If anyone is interested in doing something a bit different as well, I have recently read about the connection of a person's magical core, and their physical health. If any of you were wondering why you can see me doing so many crazy workouts, like running every morning, that's why. All of you are welcome to join me, as I've learned from first hand experience that true battles rely quite a bit on being physically fit. It's just a thought, but I hope you think about it," he said, ignoring the looks of incredulity he was getting. "I'll see you all later."

When everyone had left the room but the Golden Trio, the other three looked at him. "This was a really good idea, Harry," Hermione said softly.

Harry shrugged. "I hope so. I just don't want anyone getting hurt because of me."

His friends rolled their eyes at him and they all left to eat.

As they all finished eating, there was a thrill that went through the school. Quidditch was always appreciated in the school, now more so than before, as it was one of the few things that was able to get everyone's mind off of the terrors going on outside the school.

Harry joined the rest of his team in the changing rooms and listened to Angelina's pregame speech about playing fairly. Harry was just pleased that one of Smith's many punishments was his removal from the team. It would be that much nicer to play, though they hadn't had much time to train his replacement. They went out onto the pitch, and Angelina shook the other captain's hand, and they were off, with Lee Jordan commentating again.

The teams took off into the air, and Harry considered the opposing Seeker: Summerby. Harry had never played against him before, but he'd watched the other matches, and decided that while the younger boy was good, he wasn't nearly up to Harry's level.

"And they're off," Lee shouted.

Harry rose well above the rest of the game, knowing from experience that it was best to keep out of the way until he found a reason to enter the fray. He saw Summerby doing the same, and knew that he would need to keep an eye on the other boy.

"That was a brilliant move by Fred, no, I think it was George Weasley," Lee said, watching as the twin in question hit a bludger inches from the Hufflepuff chaser that was about to score. As it clearly hadn't been malicious, Hooch stayed where she was.

"Captain Angelina, who is such a lovely lady, if I do say so myself, though she still refuses to accept my invitation for a perfect afternoon in Hogsmeade…"

"Jordan," McGonagall warned from her seat next to him. One day she would be able to sit with the other teachers, or with her house like Pomona did, but that wouldn't be until Lee graduated.

"Right you are professor," Lee said cheerfully, "she passes to Bell, who SCORES! Ten-nil, Gryffindor."

Harry shouted a congrats to the girls, and continued his search. Spotting the Snitch a few meters above Ron's head, he shot over like a rocket, but was blocked by Chaser Applebee, and he needed to quickly change course to avoid a collision. Of course the Snitch vanished in the process.

Applebee gave him a grin, and sped back off. Harry chuckled, realizing how nice it was to play a game that wasn't malicious.

Within an hour, when the score was 60-40 with Hufflepuff in the lead, the rain started to fall. Everyone carried on as usual, though they were being much more careful. Though the Snitch had made several more appearances, it was always good at disappearing again before one of them could catch it.

"Harry!" Fred yelled, and Harry turned to see him pointing about a meter above the Seeker's head, where the Snitch was innocently waiting.

Just as he was about to raise his broom just slightly to grab it, seeing that it was out of his reach, he saw Summerby speeding towards it.

With a grin at the stunt he was about to pull, because he knew that even with how fast the Firebolt was, he couldn't beat the other seeker, he drew his feet up to stand on his broom, just as he'd done his first ever match. The Snitch jumped a few inches up slightly, but Harry wasn't easily deterred. He bent his legs slightly on the wet wood and jumped, fingers clenching around the tiny gold ball as he heard screams coming from the crowd.

Coming back down, his feet slipped on the broom, and he started falling, but his free hand reached out just in time to grab it, stopping his fall. He felt a slight pain in his shoulder, but he ignored it as he pulled himself upright, and Fred was the first to reach him.

"Are you barmy?!" he roared, stopping himself before he slammed into the younger teen. The crowd seemed to have realized that Harry had caught the Snitch, the game was over, and he was perfectly fine: in that order, actually.

The rest of the team barreled towards him, making sure he was alright, and they slowly floated back down to the earth. Harry was grinning ear to ear. Sure, he would need a moment to double check his shoulder, but it was just a slight pull, it wasn't even dislocated.

"Uh oh," Ron said with a grin, pulling on Harry's sleeve as he pointed over the field.

Harry looked over in time to catch sight of Poppy as she strode hard towards him. "Let me look at you, you foolish child!" she said sternly. My, how she hated the game. It seemed that every time it was played, she ended up patching students up; this one, in particular.

"I'm fine," Harry tried to say, but she was already waving her wand.

Clucking slightly at the results, she waved it again, and the pain vanished; he felt good as new. "Thanks!" he said cheekily to her, earning a lot of stares from his classmates.

Poppy just made a face at him, reminded strongly of James, and threw up her arms in exasperation as she stormed back off to look at a few of the Hufflepuff players.

"Well, Gred and Forge, you guys ready for a party?" Alicia demanded with a grin, and the team started cheering when they caught a look at the expression on the twins' faces.

It ended up being a late night in the Gryffindor common room that night, and Harry had trouble remembering a time that he had enjoyed himself more. True, there were all of the times with Sirius, but it was different when he was having fun with his peers.

Looking around from where he stood by the windows, he saw Ron and Hermione talking animatedly, and he smiled. It was always a good day, in his opinion, when those two weren't arguing. He saw Katie, Alicia, and Angelina flirting with Lee, George, and Fred respectively. Looking around a bit more, he saw a slightly more worrisome sight. Ginny was sitting by herself in the corner with a bottle of butterbeer that she was nursing.

He slowly made his way over to her, and drug a chair over. "Mind if I join you?" he asked softly. He knew that this was out of his arena, to be honest. It was clear that she was upset, but he couldn't just leave her like that, it wouldn't feel right.

Ginny shrugged. "I'm not going to be good company," she said without looking up. "You'd probably want to talk to someone else."

Harry smiled slightly. "I like who I'm talking to right now," he said honestly. "What's wrong?"

This time, she sighed and took a sip of her drink. "Michael broke up with me," she said, clearly trying to act as though she didn't care, and failing miserably.

Harry gave her a sympathetic look. He didn't really know what she was going through, except for how awkward things could have been between him and Cho if they still had feelings for each other at the start of term. "I'm sorry to hear that, Gin. What happened?"

"At dinner, he said that he and Cho kissed the night before. He said that he didn't do it to hurt me, but he cared about her more than he did me, and wanted to go out with her."

Harry couldn't help the moment of anger that coursed through him. For someone to cheat on Ginny, in his mind, was unconscionable. "Sounds like a bit of a prick," he told her, and grinned when she gave a watery chuckle.

"Yeah, he is," she told him, sitting up a bit straighter. "What about you, Harry? What happened between you and Cho?"

Harry copied her and shrugged. "Nothing, really. I asked her to the Yule Ball, but Cedric asked her first. They dated until, well, the end," he finished lamely. "When I got back to Hogwarts, I realized that I didn't see her that way anymore. I mean, she's great to talk to, but I didn't end up a stuttering idiot when she talked."

Ginny giggled slightly. "Probably good, since you've been teaching all of us."

"Hey Ginny!" one of her dormmates yelled, "would you get over here and tell this idiot what I'm talking about?"

Ginny turned to Harry, who just grinned at her and waved his hands, showing that she should go and join her friends. She got up and walked over to them, much better than before.

"That was nice of you," Hermione said, making Harry jump, as he hadn't seen her.

"It's a party," he said. "Couldn't let people be upset during a party."

Hermione just smiled at him, and went to get some more food. Harry had never really felt anything for the youngest Weasley, she knew, but she was glad to see that he was still looking out for her anyway.

The party continued on for a while, until McGonagall came and ended it, telling everyone to go to bed. With a lot of groaning, they obeyed, leaving quite a mess for the house elves to clean up.

* * *

**Bit longer of a chapter, and quite a bit in it. I hope you all like Shadowpaw. For some reason, I randomly thought about it during class, and figured it worked, so I think I'm going to stick with it. **

**Alright, and just so I can ease some worries I know quite a few of you might be having, yes Harry is growing closer to the others, since he told them about the Room. However, I am not planning on giving Harry a group of new best friends, and leaving Ron and Hermione out to dry. After all, he only told the others about the Room so that they could have a place to practice on their own. Ron and Hermione know about the time delay, the wandless abilities, and are learning Occlumency so that they can learn about Shadowpaws and the prophecy. I may not be detailing all the times they hang out, but they are still best friends.**


	26. Chapter 26

**One thing that I had forgotten to mention on my last update (shame on me!) was a thank you! I never would have thought, when I started writing this over a year ago, that I would make it to over a thousand people subscribing to this, and I've already surpassed that. So thank you, everyone!**

**Important AN at the end, please read!**

* * *

The next day, Harry got up to do his run, and was surprised to see a few people waiting for him in the Entrance Hall.

"Neville, Susan, Anthony, Lisa," he greeted with a nod. "You going for a run with me?"

The four just nodded at him, too tired to think much. They had thought about his comments regarding improving their magical cores with exercise, and decided to give it a shot. So Harry grinned at them, and led them on a run, deciding to go a bit slower than usual, since he was clearly in better shape than they were.

After breakfast, Harry decided to go to the Room and get some research done. He was pleased with his schoolwork; he was up in every subject, and his essays had been nearly flawless. Having the extra time helped, not to mention Anthony's help in Runes and Susan's in Arithmancy. His nonstop work with wandless and nonverbal magic had given him a feel for his magic that made the practical portions of his classes so much easier. He and Ron had shocked their teachers by joining Hermione as the first ones to master spells.

As he was up on his schoolwork, he had been doing research in some of his (rare) spare time. He was more than aware that if the fight with Voldemort was simply a test of their magic, he was screwed. Voldemort was older than his parents, and had more than enough time to master magics that he had never heard of before.

He was about to walk into the room when Blaise and Anthony ran to catch up with him. "You going to train?" Anthony asked. He was curious to see their friend in action.

But Harry shook his head. "No, I was going to get a bit of reading done. Were you two wanting to use the room?"

They shook their heads. "Nah," Blaise said. "Just curious, and I'm behind on my Transfiguration homework."

Harry waved them in. "Come on, you can practice while I read," he said with a shrug. Really, he enjoyed spending time with the two. The three of them were from completely different backgrounds, but that still worked for them.

So a few minutes later found Blaise practicing transfiguration, Anthony was casting stunners at the targets, trying to improve his accuracy, which wasn't the best, and Harry was in an armchair reading.

The book he was on was one he had found the week before. He had finally finished his family's theory book, and had now started reading the advanced potions book he'd bought in Hogsmede the first weekend they'd had in October, and was looking at it with his mother's journals open in his lap. He was considering a few things, but wasn't quite ready to talk about it yet.

When he got to the section about how basilisk ingredients affected potions, Harry bit back a gasp, and pulled the book closer.

It turned out that different parts of the deadly snake did different things, but no one had the chance to experiment much, as their ingredients were so ridiculously expensive for the average potion maker.

The skin of one was nearly as impenetrable as dragon hide; the teeth could be ground into a fine powder that was used to stabilize the potion and add various properties; the venom was one of the most deadly poisons in the world (which Harry remembered with a wince and his arm flinched slightly in memory). It was the blood that intrigued Harry the most, as no one had done much with it.

Harry was thinking about all of this, and once again had a thought that made him once again question his sanity. He did, after all, have nearly exclusive access to a basilisk carcass right there in the school! Of course, he knew very little about how one went about harvesting. The process was likely to be disgusting and tedious, but it could definitely be worth it. The question was how to get down into the Chamber without tipping anyone off.

Another problem was how to contain everything once he had harvested it. A box that had runes on it for protection, containment, and stasis sounded like a possibility, but he knew that he was nowhere near that level yet with carving. After all, he and Anthony had only managed four runes perfectly, and he didn't exactly have time to just do that. It would be his summer project, he decided. Or should he start thinking about it now? Maybe just buy the necessary containers?

Was there someone he could ask about this?

Harry froze when he realized that there, in point of fact, was. A certain Potions professor would know exactly what he needed. Come to think of it, he would likely know how to harvest the thing, possibly saving a lot of time and wasted ingredients. The question was how to ask the one man who detested everything about Harry.

"Harry!" Blaise yelled, making the other teen jump.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I've been calling your name for a while now," he said. "We're getting bored. Want to duel?"

Harry considered, and then grinned. "How about I referee you guys dueling? I haven't seen you two at it before."

The two nodded, and got into position. Harry stepped between them, and gave the same rules that Flitwick had done before the holidays, and hurriedly stepped back as he counted to three.

Harry watched the two of them, and made a few mental notes. The DA was doing well with duels, but he didn't have much of a chance to look closely at any individual groups and give advice.

Both Blaise and Anthony were good, and almost evenly matched. Blaise finally finished the duel with a well placed banishing charm that broke Anthony's shield, and knocked him out with a Stunner.

"Well done," Harry congratulated as Blaise went to revive his opponent. "Alright, let's talk about it," he told them, and they sat down. Harry knew that what made him better after his duels with Sirius was when his godfather would sit him down and have him go over the duel, talking through his mistakes. Flitwick had done the same. So the three of them picked apart the duel, talking about mistakes and better scenarios.

When they all left for dinner, they were laughing and talking about break. Harry merely told them that he was leaving the castle for break, but not what he was doing. He wasn't sure if they would be jealous that he was entering a competition, or if they would be happy for him. Giving the fickle nature of the majority of the castle (see years 1, 2, and 4), he chose to keep his plans to himself.

The next day was the last Monday before break, and Harry had chosen to sleep in slightly, having pushed himself a bit too hard the day before. So, he let himself get a bit of rest, and would read during the morning, and then do a light workout/training during after Defense.

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw a group of people surrounding the notice board, whispering to each other. "What's going on?" he asked Katie, who was sitting on one of the chairs, finishing up an essay.

She grinned at him. "It's the announcement for fifth years to report to McGonagall for Career Advice sometime this week."

"Career Advice?" Harry repeated.

Katie giggled slightly. "You just talk to her about what you want to do after Hogwarts, and she goes over the requirements so that you know what to focus on for your OWLs."

Harry thanked her, and went to where Hermione was pouring over pamphlets. He mentally frowned. It seemed as though this was a bit late in the game to be talking about this. Wouldn't it make more sense to talk at the end of second year, so that students knew better which classes to take? Or even at the end of fourth year, before the reality of OWLs hit them? He shrugged. He hoped that he had the grades to do whatever he wanted to do.

"Looking at banking?" Harry asked, looking over Hermione's shoulder.

"Harry, don't sneak up on me like that!" she scolded him, and put that one down, picking up another. "I don't know," she said. "I talked with Professor McGonagall about working at the Ministry for the Department for the Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures, but there are so many things that I can do."

Harry nodded. "I know what you mean," he said, and discreetly picked up the ones for Auror and Healer. He looked at the schedule, and found that nearly everyone was to meet with their Head of House during break. Harry's wasn't until the Monday classes resumed. He shook his head at himself. Of course Sirius would make sure that his Head of House knew that he was leaving the castle for break.

After classes that day, Harry took out the two pamphlets and scrutinized them, and came to a happy realization: the two fields had nearly the same requirements: NEWTs in Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, DADA, and Herbology. Neither said anything about Runes and/or Arithmancy, so he would have to think on that for a while.

* * *

The last bit of the week passed far too quickly for Harry. True, he was looking forward to going home and seeing Sirius, and a bit excited for the tournament, he was pretty nervous about it. Not to mention, OWLs were coming up, and he wasn't sure about not being around the castle and burying his nose in the books to prepare.

Shaking his head, he decided that he was worrying for nothing. He would still be studying over break, especially if Sirius had anything to say about it. The competition would either be great, or embarrassing, but worrying about it did nothing.

During the week, he met with his advanced group once more, Daphne and Clare once for a healing lesson, Susan for Arithmancy, learned to carve one more Rune with Anthony, and discussed Potions with Blaise. They wanted to continue brewing, but neither had much time.

All the fifth years were grateful to Angelina that she only had a single practice that week, and only one scheduled during break, which she knew he would miss.

He also had another Occlumency/Legilimency lesson with Ron and Hermione. Hermione seemed to be getting the hang of it much quicker, and was able to block his attacks more often than not, and was able to throw him out nearly instantly the rest of the time.

Ron was able to throw him out, but was struggling with blocking the initial attack. He was reading a book on alternate methods to see if there was anything that would help him. He knew, more than anyone else, how important trust was to Harry, and was willing to do what it took to find out everything that was going on.

As far as Harry's talents, he was struggling more than the other two. He had hoped, foolishly, that being proficient as he was in Occlumency, that Legilimency would be easier to learn, but it was much harder. Over the years, he learned that _intent_ was vital in performing all spells. You needed to _want _them to work, meaning that he needed to want nothing more than to read his best friend's minds. He put a high value on privacy, and hated that he wasn't able to give it to his friends. Once again, he sighed as he considered how hard it was for Sirius to teach him over the summer.

Before he knew it, Friday afternoon came, and he double checked his bags. He was taking several sets of casual robes as well as his Muggle clothes, his books, homework, and of course, his wand.

He made his way quickly to the Entrance Hall, where Sirius was to pick him up. He arrived a few minutes early, so he sat down to wait, deciding to read his Charms book to pass the time.

He kept an eye on the time, and became worried when it was nearly half an hour after the time that Sirius had said to meet him. Did he get the time or the place wrong? He pulled out the letter, and no, he was right.

Deciding that he would give it some more time, he immersed himself back into the book. Only a few minutes later, he heard his name called, and looked up.

"Sorry I'm late, kiddo," Sirius said apologetically. "I was with Albus, and didn't realize how long we were talking."

"That's alright. What were you talking about?" Harry asked as he gathered his things, but Sirius grabbed his bag for him and threw it over his shoulder.

"I'll let you know in a minute," he whispered, and the two of them walked out of the Hall and past the edge of the wards. "Have you ever done Side Along Apparation?"

Harry shook his head, and braced himself. He was not fond of many Wizarding travel methods, he had learned over the years.

"Alright, grab my arm and don't let go," Sirius ordered, and Harry did so.

The next moment, Harry felt as though he was sucked through a straw, spinning so fast that he wondered if he was going to be sick.

When they landed, Sirius had the foresight to grab onto his arm to keep him upright. "You okay?" he asked, and Harry nodded again.

He looked around, and was confused. It appeared to be the lobby of an important building, but he had never been in there before. "Where are we?" he asked. He still had no clue as to what was going on.

"This is the Ministry," Sirius replied, a bit tense. "There's a room over here we can talk for a few minutes without being disturbed. He led the way across the hall and waved Harry inside. When he closed the door, he locked it, and waved his wand, activating the privacy charms that were in place. "Sorry about all that, Harry, we just don't have a lot of time."

"Time for what?" Harry asked, exasperated. "What are you talking about?"

Sirius sat down and waved at Harry to do the same. "What we are going to do is what you suggested after Christmas break," he said. "We're going to destroy the prophecy."

Harry sat up in his chair, immediately tense. "Is that what you were talking to Dumbledore about?"

"Yes, it is. According to him, it has to be right now, in part because Malfoy has an idea of what we're planning, and is hoping to be there to either keep us from destroying it…"

"Or to hear it for himself, and pass it on to Voldemort," Harry finished, getting a nod from his father. "So, we don't have a lot of time; what's the plan?"

"The two of us are meeting with Unspeakable Rowels. He's going to take us into the room where all the prophecies are held. Remus has been helping me perfect nonverbal spells again. Actually, just one: the Tripping Jinx."

Understanding filled Harry's face. "As soon as I pick up the prophecy, you're going to trip me, I'll drop it, we'll kick up a fuss, and that way Malfoy has no idea what is going on."

"Exactly," Sirius said. "I wanted to tell you when I saw you, but I don't trust that little Malfoy wouldn't hear us."

Harry just nodded and stood. "Then let's do this. I want to make sure that the rest of the Order is safe from now on. We going straight back home after this?"

Sirius nodded as he stood as well. "That's the plan. I know you have great balance, kid, so try to resist the urge to keep hold of the prophecy when you start to trip."

Harry just rolled his eyes at Sirius. "This was my idea, you know," he reminded with an impish grin. "I'm not about to screw it up."

Sirius just chuckled slightly, and they made sure to have their facial expressions appearing a bit more anxious when they left. He led them out of the room, through the guard after giving their names and reason for the visit, and through quite a few corridors.

Harry was wide eyed, wondering how on earth Sirius knew where he was going; it went on forever! Then he nearly slapped himself. Sirius was an Auror, of course he knew his way around the Ministry!

At long last, Harry knew where he was. That wasn't because he had visited this place in person before, but because of all the dreams he'd had about it. He stiffened slightly, the weight of what they were about to do finally hit him. Though he had been thinking a lot about the war (brooding about it, actually), and helping Pomfrey in the hospital, this made everything seem so much more real. Their success here could mean the difference of lives.

Taking deep breaths, he shoved his fears behind his shields, and straightened his shoulders, determined to do his part.

They arrived at a long corridor, and Sirius led him through one of the first ones, and Harry found himself in front of a very high desk.

"Yes?" snapped a very tiny, irritable looking wizard, peering at them over the desk.

"Sirius Black and Harry Potter-Black to view a prophecy," Sirius sneered, and Harry started, having never heard him talk like that before. "We have an appointment with Rowels."

"Yes, yes, I can see that," the wizard mumbled, and touched a globe that was on his desk. It light red, and let out a soft chime. Not two minutes later (two very tense minutes), a tall, middle aged wizard came out, and studied them.

"All seems to be in order. Follow me," he ordered, and started walking in another direction.

The two wizards followed him, but were stopped when the door opened again. "Ah, I thought I might find you here," Malfoy smirked at the pair of them.

Sirius raised his brows when he saw the man. If Harry didn't know better, he would have thought that Sirius was simply curious as to the man's presence. "Lucius, business with the Unspeakables?" he asked lightly.

"Not exactly," Malfoy said, handing over a form. "The Minister has requested that I accompany you two on your little trip today. Just to make sure that nothing happens, of course."

"That's interesting," Sirius said, face now a mask of confusion, "as the only people that can witness a prophecy are the people that they are about, and the guardian if it regards a minor. Our trip today concerns neither you, nor Draco."

Malfoy's mask slipped a bit, and Harry fought the shiver, as he recognized the look of loathing. "Well, if there is an issue, I suggest you take it up with Minister Fudge, as he was the one that requested I be here."

"Was there a meeting of the Wizangamot?" Harry interjected, deciding to step up a bit. Admittedly, part of it was to prove that he wasn't scared of the man.

Malfoy turned to glare at him. "What does that have to do with anything, Potter?"

"It's Potter-Black, actually," Harry corrected. He hadn't corrected anyone on the use since that dratted article in the Prophet, but he was proud of his new name. "As for my question, is it not policy to have a meeting of the Wizangamot before amending a law? I believe that a specific number of days has to be given for the notice for the members, and a certain number of members have to agree before the law can be amended?" he asked Malfoy, but turned to Sirius, who gave him a discrete wink.

Sirius was about to respond, but Malfoy cut across him. "Look, you know nothing about the laws of this country, you are a child, and the Minister has found that certain measures need to be taken. So either I accompany you, or you do not get to hear your little prophecy," he scowled, anger coloring his face.

Harry turned to Sirius, who was quickly considering the implications. Either way, this needed to be dealt with right then. However, he had one trick up his sleeve that not even Harry knew about.

He bowed exaggeratedly to Malfoy. "After you," he said mockingly.

Malfoy swept past them and followed Rowels, who had watched them with an air of indifference. Harry stared at Sirius, wondering why on earth he'd given up so easily. However, Sirius just waved him forward with a nod, gesturing that he knew what he was doing.

They entered the room, and Harry was awed at the number of balls that there were on all of the shelves. There had to be hundreds of thousands up there!

"Here you are, Mr. Potter-Black," Rowels said, gesturing to the shelf five from the bottom, well within reach.

Harry took a breath and stepped forward. This was the moment of truth, and would be a lot, either way.

Sirius waited, barely breathing, but made sure to keep his posture a bit more relaxed, knowing that Lucius was watching his moves closely. Luckily, keeping thoughts and feelings hidden was part of being raised as a pureblood.

Just as Harry's hand grasped the glass ball, and went to bring it back, Sirius cast a silent, wandless Tripping Jinx when the teen started stepping back.

Malfoy watched in horror as the boy tripped backwards, the glass in his hands flying out and towards the unforgiving concrete. He pulled his wand out, but was too late in casting, and the glass shattered into hundreds of pieces. The image of that hack Trelawney appeared, but Harry's moan drowned out the words.

Harry rubbed his neck. Though he'd been prepared for the jinx, he needed to make it convincing, and his neck wasn't pleased with the plan. It took all of his effort, though, to make sure that he didn't grin and blow everything. "Damn it!" Harry growled, knowing that he needed to stay in character for this to work.

"Harry, what the hell was that?" Sirius demanded as he stepped forward and pulled him up roughly by the arm. "You know how important it was for you to hear that," he hissed quietly, though knowing that Lucius could still hear them.

"I'm sorry, Sirius, I didn't mean to do it!" Harry pleaded, his mind flashing back to when he'd broken Petunia's vase, and Vernon was standing over him. "There has to be another way to hear it, right?" he begged Rowels.

The Unspeakable shrugged. It seemed that nothing could ruffle the man. "I'm afraid not, son. As far as we are aware, these are the only records of the prophecies that are made in the country. Seers never remember making prophecies, so they can't be relied on later. Not even Legilemency or Veritaserum would work to gain the knowledge."

Harry's face crumbled, and he felt tears spring up when he looked up at Sirius's furious expression. "We'll be talking about this later. Do you have any idea what you've done?" he snarled under his breath.

"You don't expect me to believe that you didn't have anything to do with this, do you, Black?" Malfoy demanded. "I know you did something!"

Sirius turned from scowling at a cringing Harry, and met Malfoy's eyes. "How did I do that, might I ask?" he demanded. He pulled out his wand. "Cast it, if you wish."

Malfoy now was having second thoughts. Black being willing to have his wand examined spoke volumes, but he was never known for not being thorough. He cast Priori Incantatem, and found that found that the last spell was Riddikulus. "Really?" he sneered.

"I have been doing a lot of work lately, Malfoy," Sirius stated, accepting his wand back. "Not that you understand that. I encountered a boggart, and needed to get rid of it. If you are satisfied that I did not cause my clumsy ward to drop that, we'll be leaving," he snapped, looking over at Harry, who had his arms curled around himself, face tight with emotions. If Sirius didn't know any better, he would have thought he had just picked up the kid from the Dursleys. He grabbed Harry by the shoulder and pulled him harshly to the door, turning around once. "Thank you, anyway, Rowels," he said, and continued out, not letting up on the tight grip he had on Harry. He knew that a lot of people were watching them as they strode quickly to the Apparation point. He didn't slow down, but twisted, taking Harry with him.

* * *

Malfoy was watching them intently. It seemed far too coincidental that the prophecy broke in front of him. He'd learned never to believe in coincidences. However, he had seen how Harry and Sirius interacted at the Alley during the summer, and this was the polar opposite. Was it possible that this was an honest accident? All he knew was that the Dark Lord would be furious, though he had kept an eye on Black's hands, and he hadn't been holding a wand, nor did he believe that Harry had intentionally fallen. How on earth was he going to be speaking with the Dark Lord about this? He shivered, already imagining the punishment that awaited him. No matter if this was an intentional way of getting the prophecy out of the equation, it worked. The Dark Lord would be undeniably furious.

* * *

When they landed back in the living room of their house, Sirius dropped the expression he'd been wearing for the past several minutes, and his face showed his concern. "Are you alright?" he asked gently, moving Harry to the couch.

Harry finally was able to let himself relax. He hadn't realized how tightly wound he'd gotten during their 'fight'. He rolled his shoulders slightly. "I'm fine," he assured Sirius, who was going through a drawer, and pulled out a bottle. "What's that?"

"You left some bruise balm here over the summer," Sirius said tightly, and motioned to Harry to take off his shirt.

"Sirius, I'm fine," Harry objected.

"Nice try, I know I grabbed you hard," Sirius said, wanting to see for himself. "Just let me see. If you're fine, then I won't say another word.

Harry shrugged, and pulled off his school shirt, and saw Sirius's face tighten. Looking at his bicep and shoulder, he saw the beginnings of bruising. He looked up again to Sirius's face, and saw the shame there as he uncapped the bottle, and started smearing it onto his skin.

Aware that there was nothing he could say right then to help his father, he just held his hand, giving it a tight squeeze. He gave the older man a hug, knowing that it was the only thing he could do.

Sirius leaned into the hug, drawing the comfort that he could. It really didn't matter that Harry wasn't mad at him; he'd still hurt the kid, which was something that he had sworn he would never do.

"At least we got rid of the prophecy," Harry said, looking on the bright side. "Now the Order has more resources to utilize somewhere else."

Sirius gave him a weak smile. "That's very true. It was a good idea, kiddo; I'll have to make sure to listen to all of your ideas in the future."

"Speaking of ideas," Harry started with a growing smile, "want to tell me how you pulled that off? I mean, your wand didn't have the tripping jinx like I thought it would!"

Sirius was finally able to smile honestly. "Remus and I have been practicing wandless magic. I have to say, neither of us would have thought of it at all until I saw that you were able to teach your friends. So we worked on it, though we aren't quite as good as you are."

Harry waved him off. "Nah, I've just had more time to practice. But I'm glad that you were able to learn it, since it certainly did come in handy today."

The older wizard smiled. Harry was always a breath of fresh air, in his opinion. "Well, I'm going to start dinner. You bring your school work?"

"Of course," Harry said, rolling his eyes slightly, and gestured to the bag that Sirius still had.

Chuckling at himself, he handed it over, and watched as Harry took it into his room. Still smiling, he made his way to the kitchen and started getting the food out.

As soon as dinner was over, they retired to the living room. Sirius could tell that Harry was nervous, as the fifth year was fidgeting. It was the only give away, as the rest of him looked calm. "So, you think you're ready for Monday?" he asked, handing him a cup of tea.

Harry accepted it, and shrugged. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I'm a bit nervous about it. Partly, I don't want to show off the fact that I can do spells wandlessly and silently; but, I guess I'm also worried how good everyone else is going to be. Have you ever been in one of these?"

Sirius shook his head. "We didn't really have them while I was in school. Everyone was too worried about the war to fight recreationally."

"Makes sense," Harry muttered.

Knowing that a change in subject was in order, he grinned. "How's the DA going?" he asked.

Harry smiled, and started talking. He went into detail about the duels they were practicing, and the mock battles with various groupings. From there, he spoke about the more advanced group of his friends that he was helping with, mostly wanting to make sure that if they were targeted by Death Eaters because of him.

It wasn't long later that Sirius advised Harry to get some sleep. Yet, Sirius found himself sitting down on the couch with another cup of tea and contemplating Harry's words. He wished that there was some way to convince Harry that not everything in the war was his fault. It seemed that the kid did nothing by try to claim responsibility for anything bad that happened, and Sirius sure as anything did not want to see Harry in the same state that he had been at the end of last term. He would have to think on it, and see if there was some way to work things out.

* * *

**The prophecy is destroyed! Not my best work, that scene, but it'll have to do. I think I rewrote it four times before I finally figured that I was never going to be happy with it, and needed to update.  
**

**So, we are up to the tournament! Now, I have a confession to make. This competition is WAY longer than I ever expected. I mean, it's, uh, really long. So, I need your opinion on this. Should I make the chapters longer, so that there's fewer chapters dealing with the competition, or do you like the shorter chapters, and more of them? If I make them longer, then it'll be a few more days between updates, but it won't be too much more of a wait than usual. So, longer and fewer, or shorter and more? I'm leaning more towards longer chapters, but I'm curious what all of you are wanting for the next couple updates. Either let me know in a review or PM me. Thanks!**


	27. Chapter 27

**For the tournament, I'm taking quite a bit of leeway, not having been in any type of tournament for years, not to mention I don't know how an actual dueling tournament would happen.**

**Now, the overwhelming majority of you asked for longer and fewer chapters, so that's what I'm doing. If you think that this one is too long, let me know and I can shorten the next couple. When the tournament is over, I'm definitely going back to my typical length.**

* * *

When Harry woke on Monday morning, he realized that it wasn't quite dawn, but he felt rested. Deciding that there was no way he would be able to get some more rest, he started getting ready for that day; it was definitely going to be a long one.

When he got into the kitchen with his dueling book (which he'd already read twice, but a little extra preparing never hurt anyone), he was shocked to find Sirius waiting for him.

"Morning," he said, brows raised.

Sirius just grunted from over the top of the Daily Prophet, and worked on his second cup of coffee. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, and was paying for it now.

Normally, Harry would be worried at how Sirius was acting, but he mentally shrugged. It was different than with Vernon, and he knew Sirius better by then. He served himself some breakfast, and found the tournament rules on the table, and read through them.

Sirius finally laid the paper down. He would read it every morning without fail, since he was worried that there would be more lies printed, rather than an actual desire to know what the Daily Propaganda was printing. "Sorry about that, kiddo," he apologized, feeling a bit more awake after another cup of coffee. "How'd you sleep?"

"Alright," Harry said, and grinned when Sirius raised a single eyebrow at him. "Actually, it wasn't that bad."

Sirius just nodded knowingly at him, and grabbed another cup of coffee.

"So, where is this place? The address isn't on here," Harry commented, wondering where they were going in only an hour.

"The arena is Unplottable, meaning it doesn't show up on a map. They sent me a portkey the other day to get us there, which is how they bring everyone inside. Apparently they had some issues a few years back with unhappy parents showing up after their kid had been disqualified. The portkey works to take you straight to the tournament, and you Floo home. When people are out of the tournament, their portkey is deactivated."

"Smart," Harry commented, thinking it over. He wondered what kind of magic was used to make something Unplottable, especially since he had never heard of it before. Clearly it was some kind of ward, though he hadn't had a chance to read the book on wards that he'd bought a while back.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Sirius said, standing up. "I'll be right back."

Harry watched him leave, confused. What could Sirius be talking about? Said man arrived back only moments later, carrying a medium sized box with the Madam Malkin's logo on it.

"Open it," Sirius encouraged.

Harry just looked at him strangely, but obliged by standing up and taking the box. He gently opened the lid and moved aside the tissue paper, gasping when the garment came into view. It was a new robe, but it was lighter than his school robes, and the fabric flowed easily when he lifted it out. He bit back a chuckle when he saw that it was the same color as his wolf's fur.

"I talked with Madam Malkin, and these are the best robes for dueling, she said," Sirius told him, smiling at the dumbstruck look Harry was giving him. "I knew you were nervous about today, so I figured these would help. There's no spell work on it to block curses, since you would be disqualified from the tournament if you had them, but we can add some later." Dueling robes quite often had enchantments on them, and given how often Harry found himself in a fight, he figured that they could find a few to add once the tournament was over.

Harry gave him a quick hug, before quickly changing into the new robes. They felt amazing on him, and they moved easily no matter what he did, and were much more formfitting that his usual day robes. "Thank you," he said meaningfully.

"Of course," Sirius told him, and paused for a moment, thinking of how to word his next comment. "Can I give you a piece of advice?" he asked seriously.

Harry looked up, saw the expression, and nodded. "Yeah, what's up?"

"Forget about the prophecy for right now," he told him, staring him in the eyes. "This tournament is four days long, and you're going to be meeting a lot of new people, and learning a lot of new things. The last thing you want is to spend the whole time worrying about something you can't change."

Harry considered the words. It was true, that back at school he had been filling his days with anything that involved learning, training, or teaching. The words of the prophecy had begun to make him feel like Atlas; having the weight of the world on his shoulders was a very heavy thing. Just the simple thought of getting to act and think like a teen his own age was the release he had been waiting for. "That sounds like a great idea," he admitted.

Sirius just smiled at him, and knew that Harry wasn't going to relax, so he moved back into the kitchen, and picked up the portkey, making sure that the paper was still wrapped around it.

"Want to get going?" he asked, and Harry nodded. They both gripped the portkey, and felt the familiar sensation pulling them to an unknown location.

* * *

When they landed, Harry took a moment to look around. There were a few dozen youths and their parents standing around; some were doing some kind of loosening exercises to get their muscles ready, some were reading the instruction manual or dueling books, and others were practicing wand movements.

The room they were in was the largest that Harry had seen before, easily four times the size of the Great Hall. There were rows of seating for observers, a table and set of chairs for judges, and dozens of mats for the duels.

"Let's check the schedule, see when you're up," Sirius recommended, and Harry followed him as they walked through the large room, making their way to the parchment that took up nearly half of one wall, and scanned for his name. "You're first up after the lunch break," he noted.

Harry nodded, and wiped his sweaty palms on his new robes. "I guess I can keep reading through the book," he said quietly, trying to think of a way to pass the time that would also take his mind off his nerves. Why was he so dratted nervous, anyway?! He could face down Voldemort four times, but his heart raced when thinking of dueling a bunch of other teens?

Sirius saw the look on his son's face, and quickly thought through a few things that he could do. "Instead of that," he said, thanking Merlin for all of his time thinking on his feet, "want to do practice something James and I would do all the time?"

That got Harry's attention. "What's that?"

"A duel without magic," he said simply. When he caught Harry's exasperated look, he grinned. "Have a seat," he said, and the two went over to a corner that was unoccupied, and Sirius went through explaining the game. Not wanting to give away anything to eavesdroppers, he quickly put up a privacy ward. "Now, we just talk through how you would duel. Really, there's no way to win or lose, unless you can't think of something. You say the spell you want to use, I would say 'dodge' or 'shield,' or something similar. This way, you are actively thinking about your duel."

Harry smiled as he thought about it. Really, it was a good idea, and probably a lot more useful than reading his book again. "Stupefy," he said firmly.

"Dodge," Sirius told him, and then was silent. When Harry just looked at him, confused why he wasn't sending one back, Sirius nodded. "A common strategy that people will use is to taunt the opponent by not sending anything back. After a few spells, the other might get frustrated or overconfident, and you haven't sent a single hex to them, but already have gotten them to stop thinking clearly. Always keep your mind on the duel," he lectured.

Harry loved when Sirius spoke with him like this, and he drank in every word. "Smart," he commented, then reset his shoulders, and continued. "Expelliarmus."

"Dodge."

"Diffindo."

"Shield."

They continued like that for a while, neither one slowing down, and eventually Sirius started 'sending' his own spells. Harry found it interesting that he could already feel the adrenaline flowing through him, though he was just sitting there and talking through everything. Of course, it could be the fact that, other than the DA, all the duels he had participated in were life or death matters.

After they had been 'dueling' for a while, Harry stood, needing to work off some of his jitters. "I'm going to walk around for a bit, maybe meet some of the others," he said.

Sirius nodded at him. "Sounds fair. I'll be over here," he told him, and pulled out a copy of the Quibbler to immerse himself in.

Harry started walking around, seeing a few of the people seemed to be younger than 10, while others could have been in their twenties. He made his way around, looking at some of the styles that they were using.

"Hey, there," a very musical voice said. "Are you new?"

He turned around, and saw one of the most beautiful witches he'd seen. Her hair was jet black, and hanging in ringlets halfway down her back. She was very petite, no taller than 5 feet, and had a very nice tan, with sparkling grey eyes that made him think of storm clouds.

"Hey. Yeah, I'm new here," he said, taking care to not stutter. "My name's Harry." He stuck out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Harry," she said with a smile as she shook his hand. "I'm Brianna. How did you get accepted for this tournament?"

Harry smiled. "One of my professors helped me. What about you?" He knew that coming here meant that you were a good dueler, and not all applicants were accepted.

"I've been competing for a few years now," Brianna told him. She turned around when she heard her name being called, and Harry watched as two adults walked towards them.

Brianna's mother was, if possible, even more beautiful, and he could see where she got her looks from. Not that her father was a bad looking bloke, but he looked quite a bit more average standing next to his wife and daughter. "Who is your friend?" her mother asked, the question sounding more like a song.

Harry was experiencing a similar feeling that he'd had when the Veela sang at the Quidditch World Cup, and a lesser extent when he spoke with Fleur.

"This is Harry," Brianna was saying. "Harry, these are my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Covas."

"Pleased to meet you," Harry said, once again trying not flush. He was pleased, though, that his fringe was covering his scar, as he really didn't want people to freak out when they realized who he was.

"Are you here by yourself, son?" Mr. Covas asked, looking around.

Harry shook his head; arm waving across the room where to Sirius was sitting. "No, my, uh, father is over there." It was the first time he had introduced Sirius as his father to someone he didn't know. He quite liked the feeling. "I was starting to fidget, and decided to walk around a bit, and Brianna introduced herself." He knew he was rambling, but he couldn't help it.

Mrs. Covas smiled. "Is this your first competition? You seem a bit nervous," she observed.

Harry relaxed a bit, as the strange feeling he'd been having wore off a bit, and he could actually have a conversation. "Yes, it's my first one. I never really heard about them before one of my professors at Hogwarts told me about it. Where do you go to school?" he asked Brianna, sure that if she went to Hogwarts as well, he would have noticed her before, though she looked a year or two older than him, despite her height.

"I'm homeschooled," she said. "Most of the kids here are. Some don't have the money to attend, or they…" she came to a stop, unsure of how to continue, and looked at her mother.

"Some feel that they would not fit in with the other students for some reason or another, and some are not allowed to attend," Mr. Covas said for them.

Harry's brow furrowed. He'd never heard of this before. "What do you mean?" he asked. "I mean, unless you don't have magic, shouldn't you be allowed to attend? What would keep a child from attending?"

There was an uncomfortable silence as the family looked at each other, and Harry started feeling bad for his questions. "Never mind," he said quickly. "That was a rude question; forget I asked."

"No, it's alright. The Ministry states that if a child is found to have a certain amount of 'creature' blood, they are unable to attend Hogwarts."

Harry's eyes widened in shock. It was only then that he realized why Remus was so grateful to Dumbledore for 'allowing' him to attend years prior. He probably should have gotten further in the book on Wizarding laws that Susan had given him for Christmas; but he couldn't even remember if there was much in there on the school. Likewise, he couldn't remember any of that in Hogwarts, A History. He opened and closed his mouth, unable to find anything to say to that.

Brianna just nodded at him. "If I have children, though, they might be allowed to attend, depending on the father, of course."

Her parents stiffened when she said that, and Harry wisely decided not to ask her to clarify her statement, and instead chose to change the subject. "How many competitions have you been in?" he asked Brianna, hoping that they would relax a bit.

They did, and Brianna smiled at him. "This is going to be my fourth. My last one, I was the runner up. There's no time limit on the final round, and I just wore out."

Harry nodded at her. "I guess you know a lot of the people here, then?" he asked, looking around at all of the others; he hoped that keeping this line of conversation would relax them a bit.

It seemed he was right, as she started looking around, taking in all of the other students that were there. "Yeah, I see a few others that I remember," she said with a sly smile.

Harry grinned. "Any chance you'll give me a few pointers for some of them?" he teased.

Her parents began smiling slightly at the subtle flirting between this young man and their daughter, and decided to give them some time alone before the tournament started.

Brianna watched her parents leave, and then smiled at Harry. "You know, I don't think you'll need any help," she said, looking away with a teasing smile. "I'm sure you can handle things on your own."

"So, when are you up?" Harry asked, still looking around the room at all of the contestants.

Brianna tried to remember. "I'm in the second duel, so in about half an hour or so."

"Well, good luck," Harry offered. "I'm going to keep walking around for a bit, since I'm not up for a while. Hopefully we can talk again soon?"

Brianna smiled at him, and Harry's breath caught. "That sounds nice, Harry. Good luck to you, as well!"

Harry walked away, feeling a bit woozy. He didn't envy the person that had to fight her, especially if it was a guy. There was something about her that just drew him in, even worse than the Veela. He'd have to figure it out, because it just seemed off to him.

He went back to where Sirius was sitting with the magazine, who looked up when he felt Harry collapse next to him. "What's up?" he asked, a grin beginning to form. Oh, he'd seen Harry talk to the lovely looking lady for a while. He was going to have fun with this.

"I'm just waiting for the tournament to start," Harry lied, forcing himself not to blush, and not to look around for Brianna again.

Sirius snorted and raised the magazine again, but still asked, "What's her name?"

Harry spun around. "Who's?"

"The rather pretty girl you were talking with over there," Sirius said offhandedly, turning a page, though he hadn't read a word.

Harry lost the fight against the heat rising in his cheeks, and blushed. "Her name's Brianna Covas, and she's here with her parents."

Sirius smiled, glad that the kid was opening up a bit, and put his prop down. "You know, the tournament is over before dinner. Why don't you ask if she wants to join you?"

Harry's eyes widened. "You mean, like on a date?"

Sirius mentally frowned, then wanted to smack himself. Of course Harry was unsure around women, as he'd never had someone to talk to about these things, since Dursley certainly didn't count. While Sirius's own father hadn't been much help, Mr. Potter had been. "Yeah, on a date. You said she's here with her parents?" When Harry nodded, he continued. "Ask her father first, and get his permission to take her to dinner. If he says no, don't push, but thank him for his time. If he says yes, then you can go ask Brianna."

Harry was silent for a few moments while he assimilated the information. "Where would I take her?" he asked, thinking things through.

"Why not go to the Three Broomsticks?" he suggested. "I don't think any of your classmates will be there, since it's not a weekend, but it still has the fun atmosphere you'd want. You could Floo there together, then make sure she gets home alright before you come back."

Harry could feel his heart pounding. Sure he'd had crushes before, but he'd never really gone on a date. "I'll think about it," he hedged. "Right now, I think I'll just focus on the tournament."

Sirius nodded, and smiled at their little talk. "Sounds like a plan, pup. I think it's about to start. Now, not everyone likes to watch, but I always think it's a good idea, since it gives you an idea of other fighting styles."

Harry once again nodded at the logic, and watched as everyone started getting ready. He saw four officials – two wizards and two witches – make their way to the judge's table and set out a timer and some parchment for each of them. Everyone started making their way to the observation seating, while many of the youths either joined their families, or went to a side door. A loud gong sounded through the room.

"The Tournament begins in ten minutes. First up: Justin Yates and Colin Williams," one of the wizards announced.

Harry sat up, eyes focused solely on the mat that was being used. He saw the two teens walk to opposite corners of the mat, and grip their wands as the mentally prepared.

In no time at all, the announcer spoke again. "Meet in the middle," he ordered. "Bow to each other," he continued, and Harry forced himself to keep breathing. He was now used to the order, but Voldemort always flashed through his mind when he heard it. Sirius gripped his knee in a show of support, but didn't say anything. They watched the teens bow before turning and walking away from each other, turn, and raise their wands.

"Begin!"

The two started quickly, both sending spells as quickly as they could. Harry tried to identify the spells by the color, but it was impossible to be sure. Justin seemed to be doing much better, as he was doing more dodging so that he could continually send spells, rather than using a shield. Colin, on the other hand, flowed easily between defense and offense, and Harry watched in awe as the two circled the mat as they dueled.

Justin's strategy was interrupted when Colin sent one each of the Jelly Legs and Tripping jinxes. Justin caught the second; it sent him sprawling across the mat, and his wand flew from his hand, and Colin caught it.

"Winner is Colin Williams!" the wizard shouted.

Colin reached down and helped Justin to his feet, then handed him his wand back. Justin seemed upset that he'd lost, but wasn't taking it out of Colin, which Harry was pleased to see. He knew that Justin had one more shot, as you had to lose twice to be dropped from the tournament.

"That was good," Harry whispered, and Sirius just nodded, and they waited for the mat to be cleaned quickly of all sweat, and was repositioned to the correct spots.

Harry's breath caught when he saw Brianna stepped up on one of the corners and started rolling her shoulders slightly to loosen them. He didn't really take much note of her opponent, other than the fact that it was a very tall and burly wizard that looked as though he could crush her without another thought. He didn't realize that his breathing had thinned as he heard the announcer shout their names, and their orders.

Sirius took note of the teen girl that had caught his son's eye, and paid close attention of both how Harry acted, and how her dueling skills were.

Apparently, neither needed worry so much, as Brianna's size worked to her advantage as she jumped lithely across the mat, firing spells so quickly that Harry could barely keep up with her. It seemed that her opponent must have some troll or giant blood in him as, in addition to his size, a few of her spells hit him, but had little to no effect.

That didn't deter Brianna, though. She moved with a fluid grace across the floor, seeming to be aware of everything at once. Her tiny size seemed to be a huge advantage, as she was able to dodge all of the spells without a second thought.

At long last, when Harry thought that he would have a heart attack, she fired three Stunning spells with deadly accuracy, and the other teen stood still for a moment, as if in shock, before toppling over, unconscious.

"Winner is Brianna Covas!"

Harry clapped loudly for her, and Sirius was impressed. Though he would never get between his son and a witch he fancied, he knew better than most the danger that Harry would soon be in because of the twice cursed prophecy. He knew that if Harry began publicly dating someone, that she might be in danger from the Death Eaters, or worse, and that she would need to be able to defend herself. This girl seemed to be more than sufficient in that area, and she'd impressed Harry, which was saying something, given a few of his comments regarding the duels he'd been doing with the DA.

Harry watched her leave the floor with a small smile on her face after she had woken her opponent. She wasn't bragging about what she'd done, but seemed pleased. He couldn't blame her.

Sirius muttered to Harry to pay attention for the next duel, and Harry forced his mind off of Brianna, and continued taking mental notes about the different styles that he saw displayed in front of him. He wished that he could have brought a few members of the DA to see this. They continued to frustrate him by not taking the duels seriously, and made it fun time. These teens, though they seemed very friendly with each other when they weren't dueling, took the duels as a life or death matter, which was nice for him to see.

One of the youths held his ground, and refused to move except to pivot his feet to keep his opponent in front of him. Harry could see the uses of such a move, especially if you had someone else at your back, like he and Sirius had done when they had been attack by Death Eaters during the summer. However, as he was by himself, his strategy wasn't working very well, and he struggled not to get overwhelmed. After only a few minutes, he fell to a Cutting Curse to his leg. First to draw blood ended the match, except in the finals, where the opponent had to have their wand removed, or be knocked unconscious.

The medics hurried to the youth, patched his leg and gave him a potion, before they allowed him off the mat. Harry was, once again, pleased to see the efficiency of everyone involved.

The next duel, however, was a bit different. Both duelers, a very tall witch with deep red hair, and a lanky wizard with mousy brown hair, seemed to be equal in their abilities, and the duel continued on for quite a while. Both had taken hits, but neither drew blood, knocked the other out, or disarmed them.

At long last, a gong sounded, signaling the end of the duel. The teens were surrounded by healers while the judges consulted quietly with each other.

"The Winner is Jean Hernes, as she sustained fewer injuries as well as because of the power of her spells," a witch announced.

The two shook hands and grinned over the duel; clearly they had known each other for a while. Harry watched as the healers finished their work quickly, and they walked off together, still talking.

"We are now taking a two hour break for lunch. The contestants that are first up must be ready when the Hall reopens," one of the wizards stated, and the crowds got up, stretching and talking through some of the things they had seen.

"What are we doing for lunch?" Harry asked Sirius.

"From what the information packet told me, they serve the contestants and their families in the building next to this one," he informed, and they made their way across the huge hall, and through the doors where everyone was walking.

The next hall was just as large, and reminded Harry of the mall food court that he'd gone to with the Dursleys years before. There were easily a dozen different food stands where people were grabbing food and sitting down to eat.

Harry saw Brianna, but she was surrounded by about four or five other guys, and was clearly uncomfortable with all the attention. Harry looked at Sirius, who just smiled and nodded, knowing how his son was thinking.

Harry walked up to Mr. Covas, who looked as though he was a second away from punching the next person to approach his daughter. "Mr. Covas, it's nice to see you again," Harry said, and gave a swift and short bow. "I was wondering if I could introduce you, your wife, and Brianna to my father." He gestured to where Sirius was standing.

Mr. Covas quickly hid a relieved smile, and looked at his wife and Brianna. "We'd be honored. Lead the way," he said, waving Harry forward first.

Harry led the three away from the now disappointed, and a bit angry, crowd. "Mr. and Mrs. Covas, Brianna, I'd like you to meet my father, Sirius Black. Sirius, the Covas family."

Sirius inclined his head towards the father, then the mother, and finally Brianna. "It's nice to meet you," he said formally.

"Likewise, Lord Black," Mrs. Covas said with a smile. "Why don't we all get some food and have a nice conversation?"

They quickly walked over to a Chinese food stand, ordered their meal, and sat down at one of the smaller tables.

"So, what is it that you do, Mr. Covas?" Sirius asked as he wielded chopsticks with ease.

"Please, call me Marco, Lord Black," Mr. Covas said with a smile.

"Then I am Sirius," he returned, then his brows raised an inch. "Marco Covas? Did you once teach in Spain?"

Marco gave a confused smile. "Yes, I taught there until my marriage. Some of the government officials were not exactly supportive of my, uh, choice in spouse," he said with an uncomfortable shift.

Sirius inclined his head again. "I was up there during this past term. It seems that many of the professors still miss you teaching the Wizarding Culture classes. No one has been able to fill the position for very long since you had left." At first, he had to admit to himself, that he had wondered if it was a similar situation to the DADA post at Hogwarts: a curse on the position. Then he found that the person who held the post for many years had left, and no one enjoyed teaching it ever since, feeling that they would never be as good as the original professor.

Marco seemed pleasantly surprised by that. "I told you they would miss you," Mrs. Covas murmured to her husband.

"You would be right, ma'am," Sirius said with a gentle smile.

"Please call me Isabella," she corrected. It had been a while since they had spoken with such friendly strangers, though she hoped that they would turn into good friends. She turned to Harry. "What do you think so far of your first competition?"

Harry was sitting up straight, and eating carefully so that he didn't make a fool of himself. "It is a wonderful learning experience," he said honestly. "I have to say, it's nice to see other youths taking this seriously. Many of the students I teach will treat duels like a game, and I'm always worried that someone is going to get hurt. Here, though, people seem be able to find the balance between fun and business."

Marco leaned forward a bit, brow furrowed. "You teach?" he demanded. "I thought you were just a student!"

Isabella laid a calming hand on his arm, and motioned to Harry to explain. "You are correct, sir," Harry said quickly. "I am in my fifth year at Hogwarts. However, I started a defense club at the school in order to help the students catch up with where they should be."

Marco calmed slightly when he heard that, and Brianna, who had been silent so far, leaned forward eagerly. "What have you been teaching them?" she asked quickly.

Harry went into a quick explanation of the two classes, as well as the spells they had been learning. He continued on to explain how Flitwick was helping him with formal duels, as well as some varying numbers to emulate mock battles.

The Covas family seemed impressed with his initiative. They asked many questions, and Harry tried to skirt around a few of their questions as best he could. True, he had told them Sirius's full name, but it appeared they didn't realize who he was, which was a relief.

A loud gong interrupted Harry's story of teaching the Patronus charm. He looked apologetically at the family. "I'm first up, so I must excuse myself," he said regrettably, dropping his napkin next to his plate.

"Of course," Marco said quickly.

"Good luck, Harry," Brianna smiled at him.

Harry smiled back, and looked at Sirius, who gave a tiny shake of the head, as if saying 'Not yet'. Harry wasn't sure when he should ask Marco, but he knew that Sirius was better at this than he was.

He left the four of them, and made his way back into the room, headed for the mat, where he was met by one of the officials. "Harry Potter-Black?" he asked, clearly not caring who he was.

Harry couldn't help the grin. It was so nice to be treated normally by all of the people here. If anything the man seemed unimpressed with him, and he was more than okay with that. "Yes, sir," he said as he began stretching his legs.

"I must examine your wand for any curses or spells that would disqualify you from participating, as well as your shoes and robes," the man said.

Harry stopped stretching, and nodded. He waited patiently as the man waved his wand over Harry's body with the wand, and he nodded, apparently satisfied. Then he gestured for the wand. Harry hesitated for a moment, knowing how important his wand was, but knew that the man wouldn't do anything with it, and handed it over.

Then official only held it for a few moments, before he handed it back. "You will wait here. Do I need to remind you of any of the rules?"

Harry gave him a quick negative, and continued on with his stretches. He always preferred dodging to using a shield. There was the obvious reason of wanting to be free to cast another spell, but there was another, more serious reason. He hadn't learned any of the shields that would, hopefully, block an Unforgivable. True, he could fight off the Imperious, and suffer through the Cruciatus, but he really didn't want to see what would happen if he got hit with an Avada Kadavra again. Beating it once was quite enough, thank you very much.

He took a few moments to study his opponent, who was practicing a few wand movements. He was about Ron's height, but a bit stockier, with sandy blond hair. He seemed to be more muscle than fat, though, and Harry noted some of the strengths and weaknesses that could come with that. There was no way he was going to lose his first real competition. He could just see the headlines now: **Boy Who Defeated Voldemort was Defeated by 14 Year Old in Competition. **He shuddered at the thought. Now, he had never really been prideful, but he still couldn't stand the thought of that.

"Next up," the announcer spoke, silencing all conversation in the hall, "we have Thomas Greene and Harry Potter-Black."

Complete silence reigned as everyone took in the fact that he was competing. Harry, though, made sure not to look up at anyone, Brianna and her family especially. He and Thomas walked onto the mat, and met in the middle. They bowed slightly to each other, turned, and walked ten paces back. Harry got into his fighting stance that he had worked on with Flitwick after one DA meeting, and his muscles tensed.

"Begin!"

Harry wasted no time. He cast two quick stunners as he threw himself to the left, rolling away from the spell that was cast his way. He thought it might have been a Disarming Hex, but he wasn't going to focus on it, and instead cast a Banishing charm, which was deflected by a hasty shield, and conjured his own to block the Cutting Curse that he knew he wouldn't have been able to dodge in time. The two took a brief moment to circle each other as they caught their breath, but Harry wasted no more than a few seconds before he continued with his barrage of spells. It kept Thomas on his feet, and he struggled to get any spells off, as he was continuously on the defensive.

When Harry took a moment to catch his breath, getting used to casting spells verbally again, Thomas took advantage by sending quite a few more spells his way. Finally, Harry had enough, and send the strongest Banishing charm back that he could muster, and watched as it shattered the shield, and continued on to throw Thomas off the mat, where he landed two feet away, unconscious.

Harry braced his hands on his knees as he panted, trying to catch his breath. "Winner is Harry Potter-Black!" the announced called, and he took a moment to enjoy the sounds of the crowd, reminded of when he would catch the Snitch at school. Once he could breathe normally again, he made his way over to Thomas, and quickly woke him back up with a wave of the wand.

"Nice," he complimented the other teen as he reached down to help him up.

"Wow, that was something," Thomas said as he stood, and rubbed his neck slightly. "Remind me to never piss you off."

Harry laughed. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that, you seem like a decent bloke. Good luck next round, eh?" he asked, and received a firm handshake as they made their way to one of the side rooms where they could relax for a while before going back out to their families.

"I see your reputation is well earned," Thomas said as they accepted bottles of water, and sat down on the comfortable chairs in the room. There were 8 others in the room, and Harry was uncomfortably aware that they were staring at him.

"What do you mean, my reputation?" Harry asked, taking a drink of his water.

Thomas thought for a moment. "Well, since you've defeated Moldywart a few times now, everyone figures you'd be great at dueling and Defense."

Harry was glad, at least, that they had factored in more than his original defeat 14 years prior, but one thing stuck out for him. "Moldywart?" he asked with a grin.

Thomas smirked. "My family usually says his name, but I get tired of how often people flinch when they hear his name, so I started saying that, because I refuse to use the unoriginal 'You Know Who,' you know?"

Harry chuckled. "I do know. I get so sick of everyone freaking out when they hear his name. I grew up with Muggles so I never really understood the taboo of saying his name."

Thomas's brows rose. "You live with Muggles?"

"Lived; past tense," Harry corrected swiftly. "I used to, but now I live with my father." When Thomas's brows rose up higher and met his hairline, he amended. "My adopted father; he adopted me at Christmas. He was my godfather before that."

"That's right, I remember reading something about that in the Prophet," he exclaimed. "My family usually doesn't read the Prophet, but that was a big story. I can't believe I forgot about that."

"No worries," Harry told him. "It's been rather nice talking to people here who don't care about and follow my every move as if it were national news." There were a few moments of silence before Harry broached another topic. "So, since I'm pretty sure I've never seen you around Hogwarts, where do you go to school?"

"There's about 10 magical kids in my neighborhood, so my aunt teaches all of us. Five of us received owls for Hogwarts, but we're practically a family, and there was no way that we would have left the others."

"Are the others here?" Harry asked. He was learning so much, and very little of it had to do with dueling or Defense.

"There's me and three others. We've always loved dueling, but the others are a bit quieter, and really never got into competitions."

The door opened again, admitting two more: a witch and a wizard. Thomas gave the witch a grin. "How'd you do, Ica?"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" she demanded as she sat down. "I lost," she snapped at the continued look.

The wizard that she fought gave her an encouraging smile. "You almost had me, though. You'll do fine tomorrow, you have another shot."

"I know," Ica said with a frown as she chugged her water.

Harry looked at Thomas with a quizzical look. Thomas nodded in understanding. "Jessica Hartman, meet Harry Potter-Black."

Jessica smiled at him. "You had a good duel. I've only beat Thom a few times."

Harry smiled at her. "Thanks. Sorry I missed yours, I'll try to catch it tomorrow." He turned to the other wizard in the room. "Hey, I'm Harry."

"I'm Lucian," he introduced. His dark brown hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and there was something about him. Something that made Shadowpaw's hackles rise. That was a new feeling, and he wasn't sure what to do about it. He hadn't even had that feeling around Draco or any of the other Death Eaters.

"Where are you from?" he asked instead, working hard to keep his voice light and friendly.

Lucian gave him a mocking smile. "My family moved here from Romania about ten years ago. We live in Wales now." When Harry continued to look at him oddly, he muttered under his breath. "Relax, I won't bite you."

Thom chuckled at that, while Jessica giggled, and Harry just looked at them with a strange look. Thom looked at Lucian, who just shrugged. "I guess Potter isn't as tolerant as he portrays," Lucian commented.

THAT got Harry's attention, and he glared at the three of them. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?" he demanded. He certainly didn't like the implication that he was a bigot. Not after all of the work that he'd done at Hogwarts that year.

Lucian looked at him oddly. "So I'm supposed to believe that you aren't trying to shun me for what I am?" he nearly snarled, and Shadowpaw's hackles rose further, but he pushed the feeling back, still unable to understand it.

It was Harry's turn to look at them strangely. "I'm getting a weird feeling from you, but I don't care what you are, unless you're a Death Eater," he snapped.

Lucian and Thom exchanged another look, and the latter shrugged. "I think he's telling the truth, Luc; if you want to tell him, just do it."

Lucian sighed as he looked Harry hard in the eyes to gauge his reaction. "I'm a vampire."

Harry's eyes widened, but he didn't edge away. "Really?" Harry asked, his brows raised. "I didn't know that vampires were magical. Are all of you witches and wizards?"

Lucian looked gobsmacked, and Thom chuckled again. He seemed like the more easy going of the three. "Wait, you're not worried that I'm going to suck your blood?"

Harry snorted at that. "You seem like you're good friends with these two, and while I don't know them that well, I assume there's a lot of misunderstandings, just like with werewolves and giants; both of which I'm friends with."

The three looked at him in amazement, unable to believe that. Harry just shrugged and continued drinking his water. He knew that they were waiting on him to ask a lot of questions, especially to Lucian, but he wasn't going to. He, of all people, hated it when a complete stranger would demand to know something, as if his life should be public knowledge because of who/what he was, and there was no way he was going to subject anyone else to the same treatment. If Lucian wanted to talk about it, that was fine, but he wouldn't push.

When they heard the gong signal the end of another duel, Harry stood. "It was great meeting you guys. I'm going to head back out and watch the rest. I'll catch up to you later?"

They all nodded and shook his hand before he left. He hurried out while the duelers were leaving the mat, and made his way back to Sirius and the Covas family.

"Hey, kiddo, where you been?" Sirius asked him when he sat down between himself and Brianna.

"I was talking with a couple of the other kids. Thom, the one that I dueled, and two of his friends that he came with…"

"Ica and Lucian?" Brianna asked with a grin. "I came with them, we live in the same neighborhood."

Harry goggled at her for a moment, then laughed. "So, why do you guys call her Ica? She didn't seem to appreciate it when Thom called her that."

Brianna giggled for a moment. "There's another Jessica in our group, and it got too confusing after a while, and we don't usually use last names. I mean, we're practically siblings. So we call one Jess, and the other Ica."

Harry chuckled, but then the next two opponents stepped onto the mat, and they quieted to watch. Harry was watching much more intently, since Brianna had seen quite a few tournaments.

Sirius kept an eye on the competition, but continued to peek glances at Harry and Brianna. Harry's initial nervousness seemed to dissipate after a while, and they were whispering to each other between duels. Harry seemed to be more relaxed around her than any other girl besides Hermione, and it was clear that there was nothing but friendship between those two. Here, however, there seemed to be something else.

When he snuck a glance at Marco and Isabella, his brow furrowed. They, too, were looking surreptitiously at the younger two, but with confusion and, dare he say it, fear. He mentally shrugged. Either Brianna had never really shown such interest in another teen, or they were worried because of who Harry was. Both seemed plausible, and he would talk to them later if it seemed to be getting worse.

It was halfway through the last duel of the day, when the first serious injury happened. The witch who had cast a Slicing Curse at her opponent, another witch, but one who was much taller and broader than she was, watched as the curse appeared to hit her in the femoral artery.

She fell, clutching at the wound as blood spurted around the mat, and the healers swarmed.

One quickly poured a blood replenisher down her throat while another waved her wand quickly to stop the bleeding and heal the wound. A third healer, who was wearing a slightly different uniform approached the smaller girl, who looked as though she was either going to be sick, or faint, or both.

"Who is she?" Harry asked Brianna, who was clutching her seat tightly.

"She's a mind healer," Brianna whispered. "She's going to evaluate Melanee to see if she meant to fatally injure Katrina. She also needs to make sure that Melanee is going to be alright after something like that."

Harry didn't even think, but grabbed her hand, holding it tightly, even though he kept his eyes on the drama unfolding in front of them. "You know them pretty well?" he asked quietly, not seeing Marco's eyes widen at the two of them.

Brianna nodded, holding back tears as she continued staring ahead, refusing to tear her eyes away from the two girls. "Katrina was the one that beat me on the last competition and won the title. She's an amazing dueler and just moved here with her great uncle about five years ago from America. Melanee's family is from France, but she lives in London with her mother and her sister, who's eight."

By that time, Katrina had been floated out on a stretcher, and the mind healer and escorted the nearly comatose Melanee from the hall.

"The Tournament is finished for the day," the head wizard announced loudly through the speaker. "The judges will confer on the final duel, and give the results in the morning. First duel tomorrow is at 10:00am."

With that, everyone stood and started whispering; some where excited to see such drama, and others, like Melanee, looked like they were about to sick up. Harry turned to Brianna, whose hand he was still holding.

He saw the tears sparkling in her eyes, and the fear that she was clearly trying to hide, and threw caution to the wind. He pulled her into a hug, trying to give her something to hold onto, remembering the few times in his life that he'd been hugged.

When he held on tightly, rubbing her back to comfort her, he felt the same overwhelming feeling that he had the first time she spoke to him, and his eyes widened at the feeling. Seeing the look on Isabella's face, she apparently knew what was going on, and looked a second from ripping her daughter away from him. He knew that he needed to control himself better, so he shoved his Occlumency shields up as strongly as he could, and felt the feeling fade. It was still there, but the intensity was turned down.

Brianna had stopped trying to hold in her emotions, and Harry could feel her hot tears soaking his shoulder. He nodded stiffly to Isabella, and held up his index finger, asking for a moment. She nodded, but kept her eyes on him and whispered to Marco.

"It's alright, she's going to be fine," Harry murmured. Clearly he didn't know that for sure, but he was just saying the first thing that came to mind. "The healers are going to check her out and make sure she's fine; she might have to rest the leg for a day or two, but she'll be alright. Melanee will be okay once she sees that Katrina is fine. It's going to be okay," he repeated.

Sirius was watching this with no small amount of awe. As soon as Brianna started crying, he had been hit with a wave of emotion, and knew exactly why Marco and Isabella were so protective of her. For Harry to fight it, though, and have the head to comfort the girl, was fairly impressive.

Brianna lifted her head and started wiping her cheeks when her father handed her his handkerchief. She accepted it, and gently cleaned herself up. "I'm so sorry, Harry, I can't believe that I lost control… like that…" she trailed off at the end, and turned wide eyes to her mother, then back at Harry, and back to her mother.

Isabella was staring a whole into Harry's head. "I believe it would be best if we all went somewhere for dinner and a private conversation," she said, directing it to Sirius, looking over Harry's head.

Sirius cooled his features into his expressionless 'pureblood' mask, as Harry referred to it. "Of course," he said calmly. "I believe that neutral ground would be best as well. Shall I recommend the Leaky Cauldron? I believe I can convince Tom to give us the private room."

Harry had a feeling that the 'convincing' would mean the exchange of a bit of gold, but he wasn't really thinking about that at the moment. He was starting to get the feeling that he'd done something he shouldn't have, and was about to be scolded for it, by both Covas parents and Sirius. He kept his shield up tightly, and felt his face calm, allowing no emotions to leak through it. There was no way he would let anyone see how nervous he was. He turned to Sirius. "Should we Floo or Portkey there?" he asked lowly.

Sirius gripped his son's shoulder tightly, giving him a comforting squeeze. "We'll go through the Floo," he said, both to Harry and the Covas family. "I take it there is one here?"

"Of course," Marco said, speaking up for the first time. "We need a moment to talk, but we shall meet you there."

"Very good, sir," Sirius said, and gave a short bow, and watched as Harry mimicked him. He lead the way, seeing the signs directing them towards the fireplace, which had a large pot of powder next to it on the hearth. "You first," he said, and gestured to it.

Harry took a large pinch of the powder, and went straight through. He and Sirius had worked hard on his landing, which had been awful at first, and now he was just as graceful as any pureblood who grew up around that particular transportation.

He brushed a bit of soot off his shoulders, and kept his head high as he walked over to Tom, who was cleaning glasses. "Good evening, Tom," he greeted.

"Harry Potter, it's a shock to see you here," he said, staring at the teen. "What can I do you for?"

"I would like the private room, please, and seated for five. We will be ordering a full dinner, do not worry about that."

"The private room, eh?" Tom asked, eyeing him strangely.

"Yes," Sirius said, appearing next to his son. "I believe this should cover dinner as well as your… discretion."

Tom reached out, and accepted a handful of Galleons. "Right you are, good sirs. Follow me, right this way," he said, setting down the rag, pocketing the money, and leading them to the back of the bar.

Harry and Sirius entered, and the door closed. Just to be sure, Sirius waved his wand several times, making sure that the strongest privacy wards that he knew were up.

"So, you want to tell me what is going on?" Harry asked, keeping his tone cool and his face mellow, as though he were merely asking about the weather.

Sirius could see through him with ease and sighed, and waved to a chair, and he sat next to him, at the head. "Look, this is complicated, alright?" He rubbed his temples, getting the beginnings of a migraine. He knew that this was going to be a long night. "How much about Brianna and her family do you know?"

Harry knew that this was more than just a passing question. He focused entirely on the two short discussions he'd had. "She stated that she does not attend Hogwarts, that the school does not accept anyone with a certain amount of creature blood, that her children might be able to attend. Also, Marco mentioned that the Spanish government, which seems similar in their thinking to our own Ministry, did not like him marrying Isabella."

"Exactly. Now," he started, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. He growled slightly, but gave Harry a quickly reassuring smile. "I'll be right here, don't worry about anything," he said, but knew that it was like asking a fairy not to fly.

They both brought back their masks and Sirius stood to open the door, and Harry stood behind his chair.

Sirius opened the door, and waved the three family members inside. Marco took the other head of the table, with Brianna next to him, and Isabella next to her. When they were seated, Harry sat next to Sirius, who was at the head. "I told Tom that we would let him know when we wanted to order dinner," Sirius told them, and they all nodded.

There was an awkward silence for a few, very long moments. Finally, Isabella broke the silence.

"Mr. Potter, I was…"

"Potter-Black, please, ma'am," Harry corrected quietly. "Sirius adopted me, and I have added his name to mine." Sirius didn't correct him for interrupting, but he had stiffened.

Isabella nodded at him. "Very well. Mr. Potter-Black, I assume you are aware that my husband and I have been watching you very closely since you and Brianna met this morning?"

"Yes, ma'am," Harry stated.

She looked a bit uncomfortable, as though she was not wanting to talk about this, but knew that she had to. "How did you feel when you first met Brianna?"

Harry tried hard to keep his gaze from straying to the teen in question, who was beet red from embarrassment. "I felt a strong wave of… I'm not sure how to describe it," Harry said, considering his words carefully. "When we began speaking, I felt drawn to her. It was similar to the effect I first felt around Fleur Delacour."

"Fleur?" Brianna asked, almost silently.

Harry could have kicked himself. "Fleur was one of the TriWizard Champions last year, and has a small amount of Veela blood in her. That never mattered to me, of course, but there was still a strange drawing effect that pulled me in the first handful of times I spoke with her. That faded soon after, however. I felt something similar when first speaking with Brianna," he said, looking straight at Isabella. "I felt something similar when you spoke to me the first time. After a few minutes of conversation it seemed to still be there, but a bit more, uh, muted, I guess I could say."

Isabella looked shocked at what she was hearing. "So what happened when she cried on your shoulder?"

Brianna looked like she was going to die from mortification at that, but knew better than to interrupt, and listened raptly to whatever Harry would say next.

"I felt the drawing effect much stronger than before. When I could tell how much it was affecting my ability to comfort her, I raised my Occlumency shields as strongly as I could, and the feeling went back to being muted."

Brianna whipped her head around to stare at her mother and father, who were staring at Harry. "How long have you studied the art of Occlumency?" Marco asked Harry.

"Sirius began teaching me in early July," he answered, getting tired of all the questions. "I have continued studying it while at school, and he tests my shields regularly."

After another few moments of silence, Sirius was the one to break it. "I understand the awkwardness of the situation, however, if you could enlighten my son and me as to what is going on, we would appreciate it." Patience was never his specialty, and certainly never was with anything relating to Harry. He had an idea, but he would like it confirmed, as would Harry, he was sure.

Isabella reached over, and grasped her husband's hand in front of Brianna. She glanced between Harry and Sirius, keeping her gaze on the older wizard. "I am a siren," she told them strongly. "However, I have had years of learning to control my song, and unless I chose to use it, not many people can feel it. Brianna is, therefore, half siren and half witch. She has not had as long to control her song, though she does remarkably well for her age. When she is under extreme emotions, however, the song can spill out of her control."

Sirius looked at Harry to see how he was handling everything, and only saw the mask of calmness. Only the fact that he knew Harry very well let him on to the emotions swirling around in the green eyes.

Harry cleared his throat silently. "I will admit to my ignorance on this subject; all I know of sirens are what I read in a Muggle book of Mythology as a child. You made mention of your 'song.' Could you clarify for me, please?" he asked, hoping the question wasn't offensive. He wasn't upset that Brianna was half siren, but wanted more information.

Brianna was the one who answered. "The song is the drawing effect that you felt," she told him, voice a hair stronger than before, but still very quiet, and she didn't meet his eyes. "Muggles only got a few things right when it comes to us. Only the very ancient sirens would use their song to lure sailors, and very few died from it. When we sing, the draw is highly intensified, but it is always there when we speak. I am surprised that you felt my song when we first met, because I was keeping it to myself very tightly, like I do when I meet new people."

"When she cried, however," Isabella began.

"My song got away from me. Most people who are already touching me when my song is released can go crazy from desire," she whispered, blinking back tears.

Harry had to raise his shields again to resist the urge to draw her into his arms when she looked so sad. It was clear that there was a terrible story there, but he was not about to ask for details. He cleared his throat again. "I have studied the art of Occlumency very strenuously over the past several months. I am not sure if that was the reason…" he stuttered slightly, unsure of what to say. He looked at Sirius, allowing a brief flash of pleading to escape before he cooled his features once again.

Sirius nodded at him, then turned to Marco. "Is Occlumency known as a way of protecting oneself from a siren's song?"

Marco shifted slightly as he though, and took his hand back as he rubbed his chin. "To be honest, I am unsure," he admitted. "It is thought that the only one who is immune to a siren's song is her mate. I have never heard Occlumency being used to block the song."

"Neither have I," Isabella stated, though she didn't seem quite as concerned as earlier. "It is possible, however. I don't believe that any studies have been done on this before, as many sirens are rejected from society. Wives are worried that we will steal their husbands in the night," she snorted in a very unladylike manner.

"I believe the question, then, is where we go from here," Sirius said, making the tension in the room go back up a notch or two.

Marco looked directly at Harry. "Tell me, Potter-Black," he said very sternly, making both Harry and Sirius stiffen slightly, though for different reasons. "What are you intentions with my daughter?"

Brianna, again, looked mortified, and hid her face in her hands. Harry, though, wasn't going to be cowed by this man. "I find her to be very charming. She is attractive, funny, she seems intelligent, and seems like she could easily curse anyone that got in her way," he said sending her a small smile before he turned back to Marco. "Earlier today, I was going to ask your permission to take Brianna to dinner tonight so that I could get to know her a bit better outside the tournament."

"And now? How do you feel, now that you know?" Isabella demanded, and Brianna sunk further in her seat.

Harry allowed a smile to appear on his face. "My opinion has not changed, ma'am," he told her honestly. "Siren, witch, Veela, or fairy… None of that matters to me. She is someone that I would like to know better."

Marco and Isabella exchanged a glance, and Harry got the impression that they were communicating silently.

"We will consider letting you and Brianna have dinner together tomorrow evening," Marco said reluctantly. "For tonight, we will eat together, all five of us, and try to get to know each other better before any decisions are made."

Harry sat up even straighter, though he hadn't know that was possible. "Might I ask you if I could have a word with Brianna alone while we wait for our meal?" he asked, trying to sound a bit more confident than he was feeling.

Marco looked at Sirius, then at Harry, and nodded. "Very well. Do you know any privacy charms? I'm afraid Brianna has not covered them yet."

Harry nodded. "I know of one that will allow us to talk in here. It is a Notice Me Not charm tied with a silencing charm. I will lower it once our food arrives."

Marco and Isabella looked at each other for a split second before nodding. "That sounds fine. I know what to order for you, sweetie," she said to Brianna with a smile.

Harry looked at Sirius, who gave him a nod. "I know," he grinned, but his eyes also held a warning. If this got messed up, things could turn south very quickly. "I'll sit over there with them, and you two can have this side of the table."

The table had seating for ten, so there were a few chairs between the two teens and their parents. Brianna walked over, and sat in Sirius's now vacant seat, and watched while Harry waved his wand and muttered a few words.

"Impressive," she whispered. Her voice hadn't gone above that since she had started crying.

Harry slipped his wand back in his holster, and gently put his hand on the table in front of her, though hers were folded neatly in her lap. "Brianna, could you look at me for a minute?" he asked, letting his mask fall, and all of his nerves and worries were clear in his face.

She looked up at him, and drew a breath. "Harry, I want to get to know you better, too, but there's a few things I need to know first," she said, gaining back some of her confidence now that she realized that he was just as scared as she was.

"What do you want to ask?"

"How much of your desire to get to know me has to do with what you felt when my song hit you?"

Harry was going to answer honestly, so he considered his words before he said them. "Truly, very little. I've, uh, never really done this before," he said, blushing.

She grinned when she saw his flush. "You've never asked a girl out before?" she asked incredulously. "I thought that you would be needing to beat them off with a broomstick."

Harry scoffed at the idea. "Hardly! Up until this year, I was the scrawniest, skinniest kid you could imagine. Not exactly the ideal image for a 'Savior' now, is it?"

In that moment, she realized how similar the two of them were, both having identity issues with who they were, and who people expected them to be.

"If anything, the song had been a deterrent," Harry admitted, and regretted his words when he saw her flinch. "Wait, let me explain! Something you have to understand, is how much I've worked over the past year, my whole life really, to gain self control. I've never had control over my life, but I realized over the summer that I could control my reactions, and how I act and feel. So, when I felt your song hit me, I pulled my mental shields up as high as I could, wanting to know that anything I felt for you, and how I acted around you, was because of how I truly felt, not because of the song."

Brianna just stared at him. "So, you made a choice to block my song? It wasn't a subconscious act?" she demanded.

Harry shrugged. "Sort of, I guess."

"Wow," she breathed. She'd never heard of someone willingly blocking out a siren's song before; usually they wanted to feel it.

"Now, there's something that I want to ask you," he told her seriously.

"Go for it," she said, still thinking about what he'd already said.

"I told your father that I would like to ask you to dinner, and he gave me permission. S-so," he stuttered, then forced himself to continue. "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow after the tournament?"

She gave him a brief look of shock, then cracked up laughing. Every time she thought she could speak, she started laughing again. Only when she realized that he was freaking out, thinking that she was rejecting him, did she control herself a bit better. "I would love to have dinner with you tomorrow."

Harry let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He had asked someone out for the first time, and she'd accepted!

She giggled again at his expression, but then just smiled at him. "I'll wait to ask you a lot of questions tomorrow, especially because I think my dad is going to grill you tonight."

Harry groaned at the thought, but knew that Sirius would be right there with him, and that was a comforting thought. "Well, I guess we better get back there; Tom never takes long with the food."

"Alright," she agreed, but rested a hand on his arm when he went to raise his wand. "Thank you, Harry. I know my family can be a bit intimidating when it comes to me, and I'm glad that you still want to take me out."

He smiled at her. "Trust me, it takes more than a protective father to scare me," he quipped, but was unsure if he was completely truthful with that when he remembered Marco's glares.

Brianna giggled knowingly, and let him take down the spells.

"Perfect timing, pup, food's almost here," Sirius said when he looked over.

Tom walked in, the trays levitating behind him, and he waved his wand, causing the plates and cups to land gently in front of them. Harry was glad that Sirius had greased the man's palm; more than once had he ended up wearing his dinner because the plate had bounced.

The five of them got settled and started eating. "So, Harry," Isabella started with a smile, and they all noticed how she went back to being informal with him, "tell me, when did your father adopt you?"

Harry looked at Sirius with a smile of his own. That was, without a doubt, one of his favorite memories. He was sure that he could fuel quite a Patronus with that memory alone. "It was Christmas," Harry started, and told them the story, albeit a watered down version. They were still strangers, after all.

When that was finished, Sirius countered with asking Brianna about her studies. They went back and forth in that fashion until they had finished their pudding, which was a nice lemon ice.

Marco was the first to stand. "Well, I suppose we'll see you tomorrow, then?"

Harry nodded, and shook his hand. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said firmly, and smiled at Brianna, telling her the same.

He and Sirius watched them leave through the Floo, before going in as well, but back to their home.

* * *

When they landed on the fireplace, Sirius started making tea while Harry grabbed his book bag. They both settled down on the couch, and Sirius gave a very tired smile. "Well, some day, huh?"

Harry let out a groan and slumped down until his head was resting on the back of the couch. "Did I actually think that I could have a normal day? Just this once?"

Sirius barked a laugh at that, knowing the truth in that statement. "You once said that you couldn't do anything by half, and I guess that means your first date, too."

Harry reached forward for his teacup, and took a long draw on it, before putting it back down. "Is it strange how nervous I am for tomorrow night? I mean, the dueling seems like nothing now."

Sirius smiled gently at him. "First date is always like that, kid. When Lily finally agreed to go out with your..er, with James," he stuttered. They had never referred to James as Harry's father since the adoption, and it just seemed strange now. "To go out with James, he was terrified. True, he had been asking her out for years at that point, but he never thought she would accept."

This was always something that Harry loved, hearing about his birth parents. "What did they do?" he asked.

So Sirius launched into the story of their first date. It was a story that he hadn't told Harry before; he'd been saving it for this day. When he finished with James walking Lily to the steps to her dorm, he realized that Harry was half asleep. "Bed," he ordered with fondness.

"N',m'kay," he mumbled.

"Sure you are. Come on, up!" Half pulling, half dragging, he got Harry to his room and handed him his pajamas. "Sleep well, and I'll see you in the morning."

Harry barely remembered putting on his night clothes and crawling under the covers, he was so tired.

* * *

**So, I know that quite a few of you are going to be unhappy with me for bringing in an OFC to ship with Harry. However, I do not know if I'm having them stay together until this is all over or not. They will be together for now, and I'm trying to keep her from being a Mary Sue. Yes, she's going to be good at several things, but she is not perfect by any means. To me, it makes sense. Harry is around other magical people for the first time since he was 11, and he's going to be meeting a lot of new people. It's only logical that he finds someone that interests him, since with Ginny, Hermione, and Susan, they've all known each other for years, but Brianna is completely new and exciting for him. Like I said, they will be together for now. And no, she is not me or anyone else that I know.  
**

**As far as sirens go, I know that they are not fully human according to the myth, but that's another thing I'm taking leeway with. As far as I see it, there can be different, for want of a better term, 'breeds' of sirens, and they look like regular humans. So there's either that explanation, or that Isabella's wearing a glamor, and Brianna was born fully human. Either one works as far as my story goes.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Sorry for the wait, this chapter gave me quite a bit of trouble, not counting the length of it. This one is dedicated to the memory of my grandfather 'Duke', who left this world for the next on March 27. Duke was a wonderful person, and he will be sorely missed.**

**Thank you, everyone, who is accepting of Brianna. I really like her so far, and I'm glad that I didn't lose too many subscribers after I introduced her. **

**This one has a lot of Harry interacting with Sirius. There will be more of Brianna and Lucian as well, but I'm working on bringing in more of Sirius and his thoughts, which I haven't had a chance to reveal yet. **

* * *

When he woke in the morning, Harry had to mentally run through the events of the day before. It was hard to believe everything that had happened in such a short amount of time. Just a few days before that, he'd been working with Sirius to destroy the dratted prophecy, and in the last 24 hours, he'd learned quite a bit about the politics involved in Hogwarts, met a siren and a vampire, and was going on his first date.

He moaned slightly as he got out of bed. He was still really tired, but knew that he needed to get ready for the tournament. He grabbed the dueling robes he'd worn the day before and cast a quick cleaning spell to freshen them, and pulled it on.

He walked into the kitchen, surprised that Sirius wasn't up yet, and started making breakfast. Said man walked in when the food hit the table, and he smiled. "You ready?" he asked, pouring their drinks.

"I think so," Harry answered hesitantly. "Going to be a busy day."

Sirius snorted at the understatement, but didn't say anything. He raised a single brow at Harry's plate, which was very sparse.

Harry caught the look and flushed. "I can never eat well when I'm nervous."

"I'm aware of that," he retorted. "However, I don't think that anyone wants to see you pass out in the middle of a duel because you didn't have enough to eat. So try again."

Harry grumbled about mother hens for a moment before putting some more food on his plate. "How do you think I did during my duel yesterday?" he asked curiously. "You never said anything afterwards, and then there was all the excitement with the Covas family."

Sirius considered as he drained his coffee and stood to get another. "I think you did very well. I could see that you were holding back, but that's not surprising."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked. He knew that he had been, but it seemed like Sirius meant something other than what Harry himself was thinking.

Sirius sat back down with his second cup, and thought through his words. "Other than the DA, and the duels between the two of us, you've only been in life or death duels," he said, face hardening at the thought. Then he softened slightly. "To be honest? I was worried that you'd forget for a minute and attack with more force than necessary."

Harry stared at him, partly in anger. "I do have control, you know," he said quietly.

Sirius nodded calmly at him. "I know; that's why I didn't say anything before you went out there. I trust you, Har, I was just worried."

Harry calmed slightly, but still wasn't very happy. He finished his meal, and took the dishes to the sink.

"You want to get there early today?" Sirius asked, trying to lighten the mood a bit. He wished he'd just kept his mouth shut before.

Harry softened, and smiled at him. He was never one to hold grudges. "Yeah, I don't know what time I'm up," he said quickly.

"Are you sure it's not so that you can see a certain someone before the start?" Sirius teased.

Harry didn't grace that with a response, but stuck his nose in the air as he grabbed the portkey that they would still use until the end of the tournament.

They landed gently in the same spot as the day before, and they were surprised to see how early they were; there were only about a dozen people there already.

Harry looked around quickly, but didn't spot the face he was looking for, and avoided Sirius's knowing smirk.

"Want to see when you're up?" he asked instead.

Harry nodded quickly, and they walked up to the board. Seeing that he was the second up that day, he was about to walk away, until he saw a certain name on the board. "Malfoy's competing?" he demanded, furious.

Sirius looked at him. "Yeah, he had his first one yesterday," he said, brows furrowed. "I thought you watched… oh, wait. He was after you, so you would have still been in the side room. I think you came out right before he went in, so you must have missed him."

Harry couldn't believe it. How could he have missed the all too familiar hair and strut? He looked closer at the board, and saw that Draco was dueling Lucian right after lunch. He would make sure that he stayed and watched that one. He really wanted to get a good look at his nemesis's fighting style when he didn't have backup. "How was his duel?"

Sirius frowned at the dark tone. He wasn't used to hearing Harry sound so angry before. "A bit brutal, but nothing that broke the rules. He must have a good coach, because he really was good."

Harry scowled at that news. He hoped that he would get the chance to duel the blond during the tournament. A musical voice interrupted his thoughts completely.

"Hey, Harry," Brianna said from behind him.

He turned, and felt his anger disappear. "Hey," he said quickly, and looked at her parents. "It's good to see you again, Mr. and Mrs. Covas."

"Nice to see you, Harry," Isabella said.

"Want to walk around a bit?" Brianna asked him, gesturing over to her friends, and Harry nodded.

"That sounds nice," he said, and looked at Sirius, who gestured to him to go ahead with a grin.

So Harry found himself talking with Brianna, Thom, Ica, and Lucian for nearly an hour before the tournament started. They talked about everything and nothing. True, it was nothing compared to talking with Ron and Hermione, but it was still nice.

After a while, they realized that the tournament was about to start, so most made their way to their seats, and Harry went to where the next up stood, and started stretching his muscles. He'd realized the day before how he'd been forgetting his physical training a bit, and had just been focusing more on his magical training. It had felt nice, though, to be dodging spells left and right, using his speed and balance in lieu of a shield.

He watched the duel before him carefully. It was clear that they were less experienced that a lot of the others. There was very little movement, as well as little strategy. They just traded spells back and forth, using shields instead of dodging. Harry figured that either the time would run out, or one of them would get tired and let the shield fall.

It turned out to be the latter. A well placed Disarming spell knocked him back, and his wand flew out of his hands. The audience clapped politely, and Harry felt bad for the younger kid; it had been his second lose. He was out of the tournament.

Harry stepped forward, handed over his wand, and looked at his opponent. She looked quite a bit like Hermione: average height, bushy hair, and a very intelligent gaze. Harry figured that she likely knew quite a few more spells than he did, so he would watch out for that, and try not to get hit.

"Begin!"

The witch, Tammy, sent a few well powered spells, and Harry needed to block the last one with his shield, and watched as it rocketed back to her, but she just side stepped it. He wasted no time in casting a handful of Stunners and Disarming spells. He wanted to gauge her skill before he picked it up.

When she cast an Incendio, which he barely dodged it time, and he could smell burnt hair, he realized that he needed to kick it up a notch. He sent a powerful spray of icy water to her, watching as she tried desperately to dodge it before it soaked her. When she started getting wet, she lost patience, and set a gust of wind, changing the direction of the spray of water. Thankfully, the mat allowed no magic to leave it, having Runes stitched all around it, so none of the judges or spectators got soaked.

They were both panting slightly from the exertion of slightly more advanced magic, and Tammy recovered quickly. "Serpensortia!" she cried, and two serpents flew from her wand, and began advancing on Harry.

Harry took a split second to freak out. Not that he was afraid of the snakes – far from it – as he could easily end the duel right then. No, he was unsure if using this particular gift would come with any backlash from people finding out, since he never really told people about it. The next second, he wanted to kick himself, as Skeeter had let the Kneazel out of the bag the year before.

He hurried to conjure a shield, as she was smart, and had hoped to use the snakes to distract him with fear, and take him down. When he felt the Stunner hit his shield, he had to suppress a smirk. Hissing quietly at the two serpents to wrap around her legs, he watched her face turn terrified as she heard him hissing, and her own spell began attacking her. He cast a Disarming spell and a Stunner. As soon as he caught the wand, he hurried to vanish the two snakes, revived her, and handed her the wand.

When she continued to stare up at him in fear, he had to suppress a growl of frustration. "Want a hand up?" he asked, extending his hand.

She ignored the hand and squeaked as she scampered up, keeping her eyes on him.

"Winner is Harry Potter-Black," the witch announced, the sound ringing in the silence of the hall.

A tiny sound grew slightly, and Harry looked up to see Sirius, Brianna, her friends, and her parents clapping for him. A few people joined in, but the majority were just staring at him.

Tammy was still staring at him in fear, and Harry gave her a half hearted smile. "I'm not going to hurt you, you know," he offered, but she just continued staring, in shock.

With a shrug, he left the mat and made his way into the side room so that he could cool off a bit before anyone else could say (or not say) anything.

Neither of the prior duelers had used the room, so it was empty when he got in there, so he grabbed one of the bottles that were kept under a cooling charm, and took a long drink. A wave of anger rose in him, and he picked up one of the towels and chucked it across the room. It didn't fly very far, but it took the edge off his anger. Sitting down at one of the chairs, he gripped his hair, frustrated with himself. Why hadn't he just thought to vanish the damn things instead of speaking to them? He could have done several things other than speak to them!

He heard the gong for the next duel to end, but he hurried out before the duelers went into the side room, and walked through the benches until he found Sirius.

"You alright?" he asked, giving him a guarded smile.

Harry shrugged. "Depends on the backlash," he whispered, then turned to Brianna.

She spoke before he could get a word off. "It's a cool ability," she told him firmly. "Ignore close minded idiots. I do it all the time."

He smiled at her. It was nice to find people other than Ron and Hermione who weren't going to freak out on him because of the Parseltounge. He let himself relax slightly, and decided to enjoy watching the duels.

By the time it was for lunch, Harry was ready to start walking around again. He was learning quite a bit, but it was hard for him to watch duels and not participate in all of them.

He'd nearly forgotten the morning's excitement until they walked into the food court, and everyone in the near vicinity quieted.

"What do you want for lunch today?" Sirius asked, looking around at the food.

"I don't care," Harry mumbled. He looked up when he felt a firm pressure on his arm.

"None of that," Sirius muttered to him. "You have to let it slide off of you, don't let them have power over you, or they'll eat you alive." He thought of all the times people had skirted around him, even months after his trial. There were times when he nearly lost his temper, but that would just be proving them right, that he was Dark and unbalanced. He just had to keep his mask firmly in place, and hope that he had the patience to wear them out.

Harry looked into his eyes, and nodded. He straightened his back, put up his pureblood mask, and looked around. "How about some burgers?"

Sirius nodded, and they went up to order. They found an empty table, and started eating.

"Mind if we join you?" Brianna asked a few minutes later. She was standing with her parents, Lucian, and a man who had to be the teen's father.

"Sure," Sirius waved to the open seats around them. He hid a grin when Brianna snagged the only seat next to Harry.

"Harry, Lord Black, this is my father Stefen," Lucian introduced before sitting down.

Sirius inclined his head. "Nice to meet you, sir," he said before taking a drink.

"Same to you." Stefen seemed to be an aging man, judging by his thinning hair that was mostly grey. He was a bit stooped, and Harry didn't get the same feeling from Stefen that he did Lucian. He mentally filed that information away for later, and continued eating. "So, when are you up again?" Harry asked Brianna, trying to remember.

She smiled at him. "I'm up right after Lucian."

Harry stiffened slightly, remembering that the other teen was facing Malfoy. "You think you're ready?"

Lucian considered. "I think so. Why, do you know the other kid I'm dueling?"

Harry put his food down, and wiped his mouth with the napkin, buying time to answer. He could feel Sirius's gaze on him, and he felt as though this was some kind of test. "His name is Draco Malfoy, and I go to school with him at Hogwarts," he said carefully.

Lucian could see the hesitation, and nodded. "Is he a good dueler?"

"I've never personally dueled with him; at least not just the two of us," Harry hedged. "I have heard that he is a good dueler, and I know that his father likely found good tutors for him."

"Any advice for me?" he asked.

Thinking hard, he mentally went through all the confrontations that he'd had with the ferret over the years. "He might try and taunt you," Harry said, still thinking. "He's often used barbs and comments as a way to get you to stop thinking rationally. As soon as you're suitably distracted, he'll attack."

Sirius relaxed next to him, and Lucian considered the words and nodded. "I've dealt with people like that before; I should be able to handle that. Thanks for the help," he said, before diving into his food himself.

Harry peeked up at Sirius, who just nodded slowly at him while taking a drink. Their meal was mostly done in silence, and Harry was nervous to watch the next duel. It was his first chance to see Malfoy fighting someone fairly, and that was new to him, as the blond usually had Crabbe and Goyle there to back him up.

After the gong sounded, Lucian hurried to excuse himself from the table, thanked everyone for their good wishes, and left. The rest of them finished up and went back to the benches, while Brianna went to stand where she needed to.

Harry and Sirius sat down, making sure they had good seats. Normally, he wouldn't care this much about a duel, but this was more than that. He had never seen Malfoy duel one on one, though Harry had to admit that he nearly always had at least Ron and sometimes Hermione with him when he and Malfoy went at it.

The announcer stepped forward to give the instructions, but Harry had heard them so much that he tuned them out. The two stepped forward, bowed to each other, though Malfoy gave more of a jerk of the head. They turned, walked ten paces away, and then were ordered to begin.

Draco threw the first hex, which Lucian casually sidestepped, and then began sending a constant stream of spells. Harry was in awe at the vampire's casting speed, which was better than anyone's that he had seen before.

Finally, Malfoy was able to start sending a few of his own curses, coming off his defense. They both stopped, panting slightly. Harry could see Draco's sneer as his mouth started moving, though Harry couldn't hear anything that was being said.

Lucian appeared to attempt to ignore the words as they slowly circled each other. Lucian sent a few more jinxes out, but Malfoy only dodged them, continuing to spew some sort of drivel to the other teen.

Harry grimaced, as something the blond said infuriated Lucian, who almost audibly snapped, and he launched into a ferocious attack to a smirking Malfoy. The ferret seemed as though it was exactly how he had meant things to go, which was likely.

"Slow down, Lucian, you're going to let in spells like that," Harry muttered under his breath. "Pace yourself, slow it down."

It happened just as he was expecting: Draco waited until Lucian took a breath, and sent out four perfectly accurate curses, which promptly broke the shield, and Lucian was too tired to dodge. He flew across the mat, and landed unconscious.

"Damn," Sirius cursed under his breath.

"He is pretty good, I have to give him that," Harry muttered back. He watched as Lucian was revived, and stormed off to the side room. Draco, knowing that he really didn't need to gloat, strutted off to the side. Harry was surprised that Lucius wasn't there, but he supposed there was a reason for that. He wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, though. He would never forgive Malfoy Sr. Ever.

He wished that he could go and talk to his new friend about the duel, but he didn't want to miss Brianna's duel. His brows rose when he realized that she was dueling Ica. Seemed like the girl must have struck the lottery, for dueling two of the people that she came to the tournament with could not have been planned.

Harry, like the day before, watched Brianna closely. There were pros and cons of dueling someone that you knew, he supposed. For one, you would know their style and how to break through it, but you might also feel bad for beating them, especially since this was Ica's last chance.

The two didn't seem to be concerned about dueling each other, and seemed to fall into some kind of dance, both anticipating the other's moves. His breath caught as he realized that they weren't just dodging; rather, they were rolling, flipping, twirling, and other acrobatic moves with a speed that shocked him. He kept his eyes wide as he tried to take in as much of the duel as he could, having never seen a style like that.

Harry was glad that he hadn't blinked when he saw Brianna time a Tripping Jinx perfectly. It hit Ica just as she regained her footing from an impressive flip to avoid a Stunner. She landed hard on the mat, and didn't get a chance to fire a spell before her wand flew from her hand, landing in Brianna's.

He joined nearly the entire hall clapping for that very impressive duel. Brianna was flushed with exertion and happiness as she helped her friend off the floor and gave her a quick hug, whispering something in her ear.

Harry grinned at Sirius, and waited until people started talking a bit before he got up and made his way to the side room. He regretted that he would miss Thom's duel, who was up next, but he wanted to see the other three really quick.

"Harry," Brianna grinned happily when he walked in the room. She was the only one smiling, though, as both Ica and Lucian were scowling.

"I'm sorry, Jessica," Harry said, deciding that he really didn't have the right to use her nickname yet, since he barely knew her.

"My own fault," she muttered. Then she sighed and turned to Brianna. "I'm sorry, I know I should be glad for you. I just wanted to get further in the tournament than this."

Harry noticed that Lucian was being quiet, and not joining in on their conversation. He decided to let the girls talk, made his way over to the teen. "How you doing?" he asked quietly, making sure to keep his voice even. Merlin knew how much he personally hated pity.

Lucian just shrugged. "Don't even say it," he snarled.

Harry flinched back slightly, confused. "Say what?" he asked, bewildered.

"I told you so," he responded. "You told me that the prick would try and get under my skin, and that's exactly what happened." Harry snorted at that, and Lucian just looked up in surprise. "What's funny?"

"Yeah, I can tell you to keep a level head and not let him get to you, but it would be a bit hypocritical for me to get on your case for that. I've been going to school with him for almost five years, and he still grates on my nerves."

Lucian nodded at that. "Yeah, he seems like the type that likes to antagonize anyone he can."

Harry agreed swiftly, knowing it was true.

"Look, just shrug it off," Harry advised. "Don't let him get to you. You have one more try to stay in the tournament, and then you'll be golden."

They sat in silence for a while, trying not to listen to the two girls who were still whispering in the corner. Lucian was the first to break the silence. "So, you're a Parselmouth, huh?"

Harry stiffened at that. "Yes, I am," he said curtly, hoping the guy would drop it.

"Hey, I'm not going to give you crap for it. You know about me, so I'm going to assume you aren't going to become another Moldywart just because you can talk to snakes. I have to admit, I probably would have frozen if that had been me. I hate snakes," he said, shuddering.

Harry nodded at him. "My best mate is terrified of spiders. Didn't help when we were dragged into an Acromantula nest."

Lucian's eyes widened dramatically. "What?! Where in the five hells did you find an Acromantula nest?"

So Harry gave another watered down version of events leading them to the nest, leaving out the fact that they were only in there to get answers about the Basilisk.

"Wow. You're bat shit crazy; you realize that, right?" he demanded.

Harry barked a laugh at that. "So they tell me."

"Hate to interrupt story time," Brianna drawled from behind Harry, "but we're headed back out to watch the rest of the tournament. You boys going to join us?"

The two got up and followed quickly, and Harry was glad that they were all in good moods now, regardless of the fact that two of them had lost their duels. As soon as the current duel was finished they made their way back to their seats, and Harry went back to sit by Sirius.

The closer the end of the day came, the more nervous Harry became. Sirius could see it, and fluctuated between being understanding and smirking. When the gong signaled the end of the duel, he turned to Harry, speaking low in the chaos of people getting up to leave.

"Be polite and gentlemanly, don't hit on anything too deep, walk her to the Floo to make sure she gets home safely, and pay for the dinner," Sirius rattled off, handing over a few Galleons, knowing that Harry didn't have his money bag on him.

Harry accepted the money with a nod of thanks as he swallowed, wetting his dry throat. "Anything else?" he asked.

Sirius considered quickly, as he saw the Covas family approach. "Ask Marco what time she needs to be home by, and then set an alarm for fifteen minutes before hand, just to make sure," he murmured, and motioned him to stand.

Marco looked sternly at Harry. "Are you still wanting to take Brianna out for dinner?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," Harry responded strongly.

"Where are you going to take her?" Isabella asked.

"A small village near my school, Hogsmede, has a very nice place to eat called the Three Broomsticks. As it's a week night, there won't be many students around, but they have good food and service," Harry told her quickly.

"Very well," Marco told him, looking as though it were against his better judgment.

"What time would you like me to make sure she gets home?" he asked, and made a mental note to thank Sirius for that piece of advice as Marco looked impressed at the question.

Marco examined his watch. "It is 6 o'clock now, I would like her home no later than 10:00, as you both have to compete tomorrow."

"Of course, sir. I will make sure she is home in time," he promised.

"Very well," Isabella said, then turned to Sirius. "Would you like to join us for our own dinner? There is a pub near our town that we were thinking of going."

"That sounds great, and I thank you for the invitation," Sirius told her. "Have fun, kiddo."

"See you tonight," Harry told him, and the adults walked off, but not before Marco gave Harry a warning glare before Sirius drew him into a discussion as they made their way to the Floo.

Brianna looked shyly at Harry. "Are you ready to go?" she asked.

He smiled nervously. "Yeah, I'm ready. Just waiting on them to go through the Floo, or your father might throw me through, hoping I would end up in Russia, or something."

She giggled slightly at that. "No no, he wouldn't do that. Rio would be a better bet; he knows a lot of the war mages there."

Harry groaned, wondering what he had gotten himself into, but he was reminded when he looked at her, still grinning at his predicament.

He cleared his throat. "Alright, let's head over there."

They walked quickly to the Floo, and Harry reminded her of the name of the pub, and Flooed there first, so that he made sure she wasn't alone at a new place. When she stepped out, he timidly brushed a bit of soot off her shoulder, and watched as she blushed.

"Hello dears," Madam Rosmerta greeted them. "Just the two of you?"

"Yes," Harry responded, and waved Brianna forward when the older woman led them to a corner table that seemed a bit more secluded than the rest. He pulled her chair out for her, wondering if he was overdoing it. He decided that he wasn't when he saw Rosmerta's approving smile.

When they were both seated, she handed them the menus. "Can I get you something to drink?" she offered.

Harry looked at Brianna first, and she considered. "Do you have butterbeer?" she asked nervously.

Rosmerta smiled. "Of course."

"Make that two," Harry chimed in.

She nodded, and left to get the drinks. When she came back, they ordered their meals, and sat back.

It was a slightly awkward silence as they wondered how to start off the conversation. It was funny, as it was a first date for both of them, and neither knew exactly what to do.

"So, your school is close to here?" Brianna asked.

Harry nodded quickly. "Yeah, just a few minutes' walk from here, actually. A few times a year, the third through seventh years are allowed to come as a group. Some elect to stay behind, especially the fifth and seventh years."

"Why them?" she asked, leaning forward.

Harry gave her a confused look, then remembered that she was homeschooled. "Fifth years take their OWLs, and seventh years their NEWTs in lieu of end of year exams. Some of them prefer having the quiet of the castle when everyone else is gone so they can study in peace. Then again, others take advantage of the reprieve"

Her eyes lit up in understanding. "That's right. I'd forgotten that you guys have set times you have to take them. For us, we just go to the Ministry as soon as we think we're ready. You just have to be at least 15 for OWLs and 16 for NEWTs."

"Wait, does that mean you've already taken your OWLs?" Harry asked.

She smiled at him. "Yeah, I took mine almost a year ago."

Harry stilled. "Wait. I hope this isn't a rude question, but how old are you?"

"I'm 16," she told him swiftly, hoping that he wasn't upset that she was older than he was. "Just turned less than a month ago, actually."

"Gotcha," Harry told her. "How bad are they?" He was glad that it was only a year. It would have been a bit awkward (in his mind) if she was a few years older.

She groaned at the memory. "Pretty bad, though I did psych myself out about them. Though, I've already decided to wait one more year before sitting my NEWTs. Thom is the savant among us. He, Brian, and Jess are taking their NEWTs this spring." She considered what else to say. "The worst part is the waiting and cramming before you go in to take them, only the close second would be the waiting for the results. I was terrified that I was going to fail everything and have to retake a year's worth at least."

"I'm sure you did great if what I saw during your duel today was anything to go by," Harry said, remembering what she looked like.

"Yeah, I was just glad that I could drop a few subjects afterwards."

"What classes do you take?"

"Same ones as you do," she said, rolling her eyes at him. "Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Herbology, Astronomy, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, DADA and Dueling, History, and Care of Magical Creatures," she recited, ticking them off on her fingers. "I took the OWL for Muggle Studies, though we don't have a set course in it. We live right next to a Muggle town, so we've grown up around them. After I took the OWLs, I dropped Astronomy, CoMC, and I don't think I'm going to take the History NEWT."

"No Divination for you, then?" he asked with a grin.

"Of course not, I'm not a seer," she said with a raised brow.

He explained about their course for Divination, and the fraud that taught it. She giggled with him at some of his stories about her. He then went on to talk about some of the other teachers, and she outright laughed and felt his pain at Binns. "Yeah, History is bad enough, but to have a boring ghost teach it? I'm amazed anyone passes that subject!"

Harry nodded at her. "Same here. To be honest, I don't even know if there's a NEWT class for it anymore. I can't exactly see anyone else wanting to subject themselves to two more years of it."

Their food arrived, and they dug in. "So, is History your least favorite subject, then?"

Harry considered. "It's either that, Potions up until this year, or DADA, depending on the year."

She raised her brows again at him. "Interesting. Why does DADA depend on the year?"

He explained about the yearly change in teachers, and gave brief descriptions on them (leaving out the Voldemort on the back of Quirrel's head, and Umbridge's quill fetish).

They were still talking about classes when they finished their meal. Harry waved Rosmerta over and smoothly handed over the Galleons to cover their meal, telling her to keep the change for her tip. Brianna smiled at him after that, and they stood.

Harry checked the time, and realized that they still had a while before she was due home. "Would you like a tour of the Village?" he asked, wondering what else they could do for two hours.

She considered. She wasn't sure how smart it was to be going off on her own, away from other people, with a wizard she barely knew. But she threw that thought away. "Yeah, that sounds great."

So Harry led her through the Village, pointing out the various shops along the way, and giving a running commentary of some of the escapades he and his friends had gotten up to.

They had just gotten to the Shrieking Shack, and Harry was about to explain the myth, when he noticed how quiet Brianna had gotten, and that she was biting her lip nervously.

"Did I say something wrong?" Harry asked worriedly, wondering what he had done to garner that reaction.

"This Hermione seems to mean a lot to you," she muttered, looking across the landscape at the dilapidated building.

Harry nearly laughed in relief at realizing what the problem was, but held back, thinking that she wouldn't appreciate being laughed at. "Yeah, she's like a sister to me," he said casually, and almost sagged in relief when she perked up again.

"So, what's that one?" she asked, pointing to the Shack.

Harry told her the tale of how it was the most haunted building in Britain, and she gasped, spinning around to look at it a bit closer. "But that's not the true story," Harry grinned.

She turned back to him. "What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"Well, it's never been haunted. You see, it starts with a young boy who had been bitten by a werewolf," he started the tale, and gave all of it.

"Wow," she breathed. Her eyes were shinning, and Harry wondered if it was because Remus had been able to attend Hogwarts, and she had not. "So, how do you know the real story behind the Shack?"

"Well, the werewolf is my new godfather, the stag was my birth father, and the dog is Sirius," Harry told her with a happy smile.

"What about the rat?" she asked curiously, wondering why he had left it out.

Harry's face turned ugly as he thought of the traitor. He kept his voice as calm as he could though. "The rat was the one that had betrayed my parents and framed Sirius. I caught him last June, and he's now in Azkaban."

She immediately felt bad for bringing up a clearly painful subject. She hesitantly stepped forward and wrapped her hand around his. "I'm sorry, Harry," she whispered.

Harry felt a warmth spread through him at that simple act of intimacy. He chose to relax slightly and, for the moment, forget the pain that a simple decision 15 years ago had brought so many people. For now, he would embrace the idea of leaving the past where it belonged.

They stayed like that for some time, until a soft ring interrupted the quiet. "What was that?" she asked him, looking around.

Harry tried not to groan in disappointment, and took out his wand to cancel the ringing. "It was an alarm charm; I set it to 15 minutes before you have to be home," he explained, as they began walking back to the pub.

"That was smart," she commented, unhappy at the idea that their date was nearly over.

"Sirius suggested it," he admitted. "Guess he didn't want to have to clean up the mess if your father murdered me for not getting you home on time."

"Well, at least he thought ahead," she said with a grin.

They walked back into the pub, and Rosmerta smiled at them again before turning back to her customers. Harry walked her to the Floo and paused. This was the part of the date that he had no idea what to do next.

Everything seemed to run in slow motion, and he seemed hyper aware of everything around him. He could practically count the freckles on her nose. Suddenly, the song slid over him; it wasn't as powerful as when she had cried. No, this was softer, gentle. He still kept his shields up to keep from being overwhelmed.

They leaned forward at the same time, and he was careful as he kissed her on the lips. It was as though an explosion had taken place, and Harry pulled his shields up as high and strong as he could, though also enjoying the feeling. Her lips were much softer than he had thought they would be.

Time seemed to have no feeling for them at that moment, but the spell was broken as they pulled back, both blushing strongly.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Harry whispered.

"Definitely," she breathed back. With a genuine smile at him, she grabbed a handful of Floo powder, and stepped through, whispering "Covas House."

Harry watched her leave, and felt a swooping sense of happiness fill him. As though he was on a cloud, he Flooed back home, barely aware of what he was doing.

* * *

Sirius was still up, waiting for his son to come home from his first date. At five to ten, he looked up from the book he was failing to read as the Floo flared and said son stepped through.

He couldn't help the grin that grew on his face as he saw the dreamy look. He poured a cup of tea, and gestured to the couch. "Have a seat?"

Harry collapsed onto the couch, and reached out with his hands to grasp the cup. He was still speechless from the events of the day, and took a sip of the tea.

Unable to take the suspense, Sirius broke the silence. "So, how'd it go?"

Harry looked up, only then realizing that Sirius was sitting there. "You didn't have to wait up for me," he said, though the thought only added to his joy. "Is this what a Patronus feels like?" he asked goofily.

Sirius couldn't help the bark of laughter at that. He continued laughing for a moment. "Well, that answers my question, I guess."

Still grinning goofily, Harry started talking. "We went to dinner, then I showed her around the village. She got a little worried when I was talking about Hermione."

Sirius winced. "What happened?"

"I just told her that Hermione is like my sister, and she seemed pleased with that," Harry told him.

"Well, that's good at least," he said. "She get home on time, then?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I made sure that she was a bit early," he told him. He wasn't sure if he was up to doing some of the homework he'd been giving over break, and decided that he wasn't. Who knew what Snape would do if he started writing about Brianna.

He drained the last of his tea and stood. "I'll see you in the morning," he said, and left the room.

Sirius grinned again as he watched the retreating back, but it was now a bit of a melancholy one. He couldn't help but feel that he had cheated, getting to see this moment. It should have been James as the one teasing Harry, and Lily would have smacked him for teasing while glowing with happiness, thinking of the witch that had her son acting like that.

He blinked back the emotion, and decided that he should get some rest as well. When he got into his room, he put up his usual silencing charms to keep Harry from waking during his nightmares. It wouldn't do to spoil his son's amazing night by witnessing his father dreaming about all his mistakes.

* * *

When the two of them arrived at the dueling hall, Brianna and her parents walked over. "Hey there," he whispered to Brianna, who had given him a hug when she saw him. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Covas," he greeted.

"Hello Harry, Sirius," Isabella said with a shining smile. "I heard good things about last night."

Harry blushed. "I'm glad that Brianna had a good time," he said quickly. "Shall we go see when we're up?"

Brianna agreed, wondering how things were going to go for the day, and the five of them went to the large board.

The first half of the day was the final of the duel for those who had lost once, and a break for anyone who had already won twice. After lunch was the start of the semi finals, where they were weaned down to the final eight duelists for the next day. The schedule was incomplete, to account for the winners, and Harry didn't know who he was dueling yet, but his heart nearly stopped when he studied the board. Right before his duel, Brianna was facing off with Malfoy.

Harry exchanged a look with Sirius, who was frowning heavily. This had the potential to be either really good, or really really bad. If he knew Malfoy at all, it would be the latter.

As he and Brianna had already won twice, they decided to sit together and watch. Harry looked around a bit, and realized that Ica wasn't there. "Where's Jessica?" he asked Brianna.

She sighed sadly. "Since she lost twice, she didn't want to come and just watch. Thom also lost yesterday, so he decided to stay home with her. Lucian said he was running a bit late this morning, but I saw that he's the last before lunch, so he has time to get here." When she saw that his worried look hadn't abated since looking at the schedule, she sighed. "I saw who I'm facing. Believe it or not, I'm used to name calling and threats. I won't let him get to me," she promised, holding his hand tightly.

"Just be careful, alright?" he asked quietly. "Don't think it's going to be an easy duel."

"I'll be careful," she repeated. When that didn't do much to improve his attitude, she laughed quietly and put her mouth at his ear. "You're cute when you're worried," she breathed.

Harry let out a breath and grinned, though he wasn't sure if it was from her words or her actions, but regardless, it had the desired effect, and he tried hard to relax and enjoy watching the duels.

Just before the first pair of duelers entered the mat, they saw Lucian and Stefen walk in and hurry to find seats.

Surprisingly, watching the duelers go at it with everything they had helped to relax Harry. This was something he knew, and something that he would likely always know. He barely knew most of them, and so he could be objective in watching them, finding mistakes and strengths, learning what strategies worked and didn't.

Lucian walked on the mat, and faced Justin Yates, who had been the first dueler of the tournament. Lucian seemed to be more than aware that this was his last chance, and threw everything he had into the duel. Harry was awed at the power behind the spells, and the match was over in less than two minutes when Justin caught a Stunner.

Harry hadn't even realized the time, until Sirius nudged him, and he realized that it was already time for lunch. "Let's go, pup," Sirius said.

Harry nodded, and stood. Brianna and her parents were a few yards in front of them, talking about the tournament, he guessed. They had just walked through the doors to go to the food court, when Harry felt that someone was behind him. Putting a hand out to slow Sirius, he turned around, and had to work hard to hide his scowl when he saw Lucius and Draco walk up to them.

"Well, Sirius, hello, and you, Mr. Potter-Black," Malfoy Sr. sneered.

"Lucius," Sirius greeted coldly, then turned to Draco. "Congratulations on how well you are doing so far."

"Thank you, Lord Black," Draco said, mimicking his father's tone. "You're not doing half bad yourself, Potter."

Harry ignored the lack of his second last name, and shrugged casually. "I'm having a good time, and I'm meeting some interesting people."

"Ah yes, I noticed your interactions with the Covas girl," Lucius smirked. "At least she's not attending Hogwarts. I would express my disapproval to have my son associating with some_thing _like that."

Sirius gripped Harry's arm almost to the point of bruising to keep him from attacking the man for that comment. "Well, it's not as though you have a… direct say in that anymore. Not since you are no longer one of the governors," Sirius said, clearly choosing his words carefully.

Lucius scowled at Sirius, but it was true. Anything he did in regards to the school had to be done carefully and through bribes and threats. "Well, I won't keep you from your meal any longer," he snapped back. "Good luck on the rest of the tournament, Mr. Potter-Black." He leveled Harry with a malevolent glare.

"And to you, Malfoy," Harry said to Draco, giving them a smile that was very near to a sneer.

When they walked away, Harry rubbed his arm slightly, but glared at their retreating backs. "I'm going to get them one of these days," he muttered angrily, and barely noticed when his scar began to sting.

"I wouldn't blame you," Sirius told him, upset as well. "But not in front of this many people who you don't know. Just refrain yourself from starting anything here"

Harry nodded stiffly, and they went to get food. Once they had trays of pasta, they looked around, and saw Brianna, Marco, Isabella, Lucian, and Stefen at a table together waving them over, so they walked over. Harry chose the seat between Brianna and Lucian, while Sirius sat at the empty head.

"That was a good duel," Harry told Lucian, still trying hard to get control of his anger. "I think it was one of the quickest yet."

Lucian nodded quickly. "Yeah, I didn't want to give Yates the chance to recover from some of the hits, and I knew I needed to end it."

"Do you have plans for dinner?" Brianna asked Harry quietly.

Harry smiled at her. "Actually, why don't we ask if you, me, and Lucian go out tonight? I know a good place that's in Muggle London, but it's really close to where we ate with our parents the other night."

If possible, Brianna smiled even wider. She liked that Harry was also trying to get along with her friends, because they were practically her siblings. "We should probably ask first," she whispered, then raised her voice to normal volumes. "Papa," she started, and waited until Sirius finished a comment, before all of the adults turned to her. "We were wondering if Lucian, Harry and I could go out for dinner tonight? Harry said that he knows another nice place."

Sirius turned to Harry. "Where were you thinking?"

"I thought that Obertelli's Eating House next to the Leaky Cauldron might be nice. I haven't been there in years, but I remember it had really good food."

Sirius looked at Marco. "That is fine with me. What do you think?"

Marco and Stefen looked at each other. "That sounds fine," Stefen said. "Curfew is at 9:30, since finals are tomorrow.

"Same," Sirius and Isabella said at the same time.

The teens groaned good naturedly, but nodded. Harry continued eating as he tried hard to think about the coming duels, and even the coming dinner, but his mind just kept straying to how Malfoy had called Brianna a thing, and his blood boiled. Oh, how he wished he were the one dueling with Malfoy tonight. It would be nice to get rid of some pent up anger at that family.

Lunch finished quickly, and Harry and Lucian excused themselves to check the board to see when they were up next.

As soon as they were out of sight of the rest of the group, Lucian grabbed Harry's arm tightly, and pulled him down a hallway, and finally shoved him hard against a wall. "What are you doing with Brianna?" he demanded, face inches from Harry's.

Harry, having no clue what was going on, felt his face harden. This was not the time for anyone to get on the wrong side of him, especially as his scar gave another odd twinge. He gripped his wand tight, though he really didn't need it. "I like her a lot, and I took her to dinner last night. I would like to continue seeing her, because she is someone that I could see myself with. What I can also see is you, splattered against that wall unless you let. Go. Now." The last two words were said as cold as ice, but didn't seem to faze the vampire at all.

"Let me tell you something, Harry Potter-Black," he sneered the last names. "I don't care who you are, or what you are famous for. If you hurt her, you will wish I had killed you."

Harry realized what this was, and was relieved that it wasn't something else. "I'm not planning on hurting her," Harry told him. "However, if you want the chance to kill me, let me tell you that there is a line of about a dozen Death Eaters and Voldemort himself ahead of you, so just break my arms and toss me to them if you really want me dead."

Lucian looked a bit surprised at his words, and stepped back, nodding. Harry stood up a bit straighter, and smoothed his robes. "Shall we go see the schedule?" Harry asked sardonically, and turned to leave before there was an answer. He understood why Lucian did what he had done, since he would likely do the same for Hermione one day, but he really didn't like it when people got in his personal space like that.

Lucian caught up with him at the board, and they both chuckled darkly. They were facing each other as the last of the day. "Well, that's something," Brianna said from behind them. "Not really sure who to be cheering for."

The boys smiled at her, and Lucian walked back to his father. Knowing that, since it was now the semifinals, there were only a few duels before hers, he gathered her in his arms and held her tightly for a moment. "Please be careful with him. When in doubt, dodge."

She smiled before pulling back. Sure, she trusted him not to be overwhelmed by her song, but she really didn't want to tempt fate. "Relax, Harry, I'll be careful."

He nodded and then went to their seats. There were four more duels that day, then four before lunch the next. After lunch, the four finalists were paired off, and then the final duel of the day. From this point on, if you lost a duel, you were done for the tournament.

Before the duelers started, Harry realized that he was still antsy, so he stood. "I'm going to warm up," he told Sirius quietly.

Sirius nodded understandingly, so Harry walked to the side room. Once in there, he started stretching and warming up his muscles. He took care not to overstretch or wear himself out. This wasn't something he'd been expecting when he got there. He didn't think that he'd be paired off with his date's friend, or that his date would be facing his nemesis.

He stayed in there for the first two duels, then walked out, headed to where he needed to stand as the runner up. He saw Brianna and Draco walk onto the mat, and Harry could vaguely hear Draco already starting with his list of insults and threats. Brianna just smiled brightly at him, seemingly completely unaffected by his words. They bowed, walked away, and Harry's breath stopped when the announcer yelled to begin.

Draco cast several simple spells, and Brianna simply dodged them, and threw up a shield for the last one. When she cast nothing back, he continued, upping his game slightly. His face twisted into a sneer when she still cast nothing back, seeming to spend all of her energy on her shields, so he continued to taunt her, and sent a few more powerful spells.

Finally, when he paused for a moment a drew a breath to say something more, she jumped into action. She fired off two Blasting curses, which Draco barely managed to block. She spun wildly when he shot a fire curse at her, and she countered with a wall of ice. When the fire hit it, the wall shattered, and she banished the sharper pieces towards him, which he melted with a wave of hot air. The look in his eyes could almost have been admiration.

Harry was breathing shallowly, sure that some of his hair must have been white by that point, and he refused to even blink.

Then Draco cast a spell that Harry had never seen before. He muttered something in Latin, and pitch black ropes flew out of his wand and wrapped around one of her ankles.

"Foul!" Sirius roared from his seat, and that terrified Harry, who had no idea what the rope did.

He realized that it must have been some kind of magic binding rope, because Brianna looked up in alarm. However, she simply gathered up the tail of the rope and snarled as she leapt forward. She jumped, twisted, cart wheeled, and flipped to avoid the spells. Her movements, though, were beginning to become a bit ragged, and he realized that her ankle and her hand were both starting to smoke.

Blood was boiling under his skin, and he barely managed to root himself down. He continued to keep his eyes were they were, and didn't move a muscle, though he was shaking uncontrollably.

Brianna landed on her flip less than a foot away from Draco, kicked his wand hand with all her strength, and went to spin back away. However, he grabbed the excess rope to stop her, and send a Bone Shattering Hex to her free leg at point blank range.

She fell with a scream that curdled Harry's blood, and he whipped his wand out as he stalked forward. A set of iron arms wrapped around his torso to hold him back.

"Stay back," Sirius hissed to him. "You go up there now, and they won't be able to attend to her because they'll be too busy charging you with murder. Don't do it, Harry James. You. Stay. Here."

A bit of sense managed to get through the cold fury in his brain, and but he didn't stop struggling. "Going to end him for that," Harry snarled under his breath. His eyes were ablaze as he watched the healers rush up to the mat to look at the damage. One of them turned to Draco and snapped something. He, in turn, looked bored, but waved his wand at the writhing Brianna, and the rope vanished, leaving behind weeping blisters.

Sirius kept his tight grip on Harry, and even grabbed the wand from him. He knew firsthand how bad things could end up if you rushed into revenge. "Sirius, let me go," Harry snarled. His hands were burning with the desire to wrap themselves around Draco's throat.

"Not a chance," Sirius retorted. He wasn't going to let him go until both Malfoys had left the hall.

"I'm not going to do anything to the bastard, I want to see how Brianna is," Harry said, trying to wrench away from the grip.

"I don't care," Sirius said, though he did feel bad. He could see how much Harry cared for Brianna, but he really wasn't going to let go until Draco wasn't in immediate danger of having his neck snapped. Sure, there was nothing he could do at the school other than warn the teachers about this incident, but he just needed to keep an eye on Harry until then.

"Sirius, please, I need to see her," Harry pleaded, seeing the healers levitate Brianna onto the stretcher.

Sirius didn't respond, but kept his arms right where they were. He looked up, and saw Lucius walking towards the exits, which weren't that far from where they were standing.

"The winner is Draco Malfoy, for rendering his opponent unable to continue," the announcer said with a hard glare of warning at the blond.

Draco just smirked, and walked towards his father. He stopped at grinned at Harry. "Might want to keep an eye on your whore next time. Wouldn't want her to get hurt," he whispered, and then strutted out the doors with his father.

Harry was blinded with rage, and ripped himself free from his father. "Can I go and see her now?" he whispered venomously, snatching his wand back.

Before Sirius could answer, the announcer waved him and Lucian forward for their duel. Harry growled low in his throat. He needed to go and see how she was doing. That was it, he was going to end this duel the second he could. Forget showing off any abilities he was trying to hide.

He stalked up to the mat, where Lucian was white with barely suppressed fury, and it seemed directed at Harry, which he could understand. If Harry didn't know Brianna, then Draco might not have been quite as brutal during his duel. Harry's face hardened, though.

"Begin!"

Lucian sent several curses to Harry, who just dodged them without thinking. He was like a man possessed, as he ran, rolled, and jumped. He fired curses as quickly as he could fling them, and Lucian found himself scrambling to keep from being hit.

The vampire managed to hit him with a Silencing charm, and relaxed slightly, thinking the duel was over.

Harry, though, slashed his wand with the lightest cutting charm he could think of. It would barely sting, and only produce a tiny amount of blood. It was his compromise with himself, as it would seem like a very weak attempt at a nonverbal spell, but at the same time, the duel was over. Just to be sure, he cast a Disarming charm; again it was as weak as he could manage. Lucian's wand only made it halfway across the mat and not into Harry's hand, but he ran over and grabbed it.

"Winner is Harry Potter-Black!" the announcer yelled. "It is also a record time in the semifinals, at 2:56." He waved his own wand at Harry, lowering the Silencing charm.

Harry nodded curtly to Lucian, tossed him his wand, then walked off the mat. He passed Sirius without saying a word, and went to the nurses' office, where he heard some of the more serious injuries were treated.

"How is she?" he asked the nurse at the door.

"Who are you talking about?" she asked, checking her clipboard.

"Brianna Covas, just taken in not five minutes ago," he said, and could feel Sirius walk up behind him, but he ignored him.

"Only immediate family allowed in right now," she told him regretfully. "Her parents are in there now. I could pass along a message if you like."

"Tell them to please let us know how she is doing as soon as possible," Sirius said, and steered Harry away from there.

"I'm going to stay and wait here," Harry told him.

Sirius looked at the steely eyes, but shook his head. "No, you are not. You are going to come home, and we are going to talk about this," he said firmly, letting Harry know that he was going to accept nothing else.

Harry scowled at him, but they made their way to the Floo, and Sirius had Harry go through first, before quickly following.

As soon as they were both in the room, he waved to Harry. "Let her rip," he said bracingly.

"I want to see how she's doing!" Harry yelled. "I could have gone up there when she was on the mat, and then I could have waited outside the room! I want to know what is going on and if she's going to be alright!"

Sirius nodded, his arms crossed over his chest. "You want to do nothing to Draco?" he asked mildly.

Harry scoffed. "Are you kidding? I want to kill that bastard! Skin him alive and throw him to the dragons! You saw how little he cared, and what he said at the end!"

"So that means he deserves to die?" Sirius asked, voice still mild, but harder than steel. "Hear this, Harry James. If you had gone onto the platform, you would have attacked him. I know what it is to wish death upon someone. Someone who was responsible for people I loved being hurt. No one stopped me from acting rashly, and you know how well that ended. I'm rather disappointed in you," he said, and went into his room.

Harry collapsed onto the couch, stunned. Never before had he heard those words from Sirius. He found that they hurt far worse than any of his thrashings from Vernon. He wished that he could still be furious with Sirius, but he was suddenly empty. He raised a shaky hand to his scar, which he just realized, was burning strongly, and he wanted to be sick. He could have killed someone tonight. He probably would have if it wasn't for Sirius. He owed the man everything, and all he'd done was yell.

Breathing as deeply as he could, he stood shakily and walked into his room, curling into a ball on his bed.

* * *

When Sirius closed the door to his room, his face crumpled. How had things spiraled so out of control in the last hour? Everything was fine until Brianna's duel. After Malfoy had cast the Dark rope – which was originally a Black family spell (used on their sex slaves to keep them from attacking or escaping) so he knew that Narcissa had to be the one to teach him – he knew things were going downhill after that.

He needed help, he knew. Someone who wasn't going to judge him for his harsh words, but be able to remain calm. Knowing exactly who fit that bill, he cautiously went into the hall, and saw that the door to Harry's room was firmly locked. Therefore, he continued on into the empty living room, and tossed a pinch of powder onto the fire. "Remus Lupin's Office, Hogwarts," he muttered as he stuck his head into the flames.

"Sirius?" Remus said, shocked. He had been sitting at his desk grading papers, and been shocked when the Floo had flared. Then he saw Sirius's face. "What happened?"

"It's… complicated. Can you come through?" he asked. After the start of term, Remus had asked Dumbledore to make his Floo available for travel, not just communication. The Headmaster had been resistant at first, but had agreed in the end.

Remus knew that this was important, so he dropped his quill. "Step back," he said simply, grabbing one of his new cloaks to throw over his shoulders.

Sirius did so, and a moment later his best friend appeared on the hearth. "Thanks for coming over, Moony," he said quietly, leading the way to the kitchen, where he started a pot of the calming tea he kept there.

"Sure," Remus said, suddenly a bit wary. "What's going on, Pads? Harry not do well in the tournament? I thought there was one more day."

Sirius nodded as he pulled down the mugs. "Yeah, he's in the semifinals right now. He has another couple duels tomorrow, depending on how he does."

There was silence in the room until the kettle whistled, and they started making their tea. Finally, Remus couldn't take the silence any longer. "Sirius, what's going on?" he demanded again. "Usually if there's something wrong, you blurt it out before I can get a word in."

Sirius looked into the mug, and sighed as he set it down. "I told Harry I was disappointed in him," he said.

Remus' brows shot up at the quiet admission. He whistled at that. "Alright, was not expecting that. How's he doing since then?"

Sirius shrugged. "I'm not sure. I walked out of the room after I said it so that I could calm down, and Harry's in his room. I haven't seen him sense."

"So, what did he do that got such a response from you?" he asked.

"I had to restrain him from attacking Draco Malfoy today at the tournament. When we got back here, he said that he wished Draco were dead. I just… I thought back to myself after Halloween that night. I don't want him to end up like me, Moony. I don't."

Remus was amazed, and knew that there was something he was missing. Whatever Harry's faults, he was well used to Draco's usual attitude, so something must have happened. Either way, he would talk about it with his godson once he was done here. "Sirius. Harry is a good kid, but he's a teenager. He is full of passion and anger right now, and with everything else going on in his world right now, I'm surprised he didn't snap before this," Remus told him. "Both of you need a chance to calm down, and how about you get some food for dinner, since I'm sure that neither of you have eaten yet. I'll go talk to him," Remus said, standing up and grabbing another tea for Harry.

"Sure," Sirius muttered, and went to the cold cupboard, starting to pull out a stew that he'd made the night before, and had barely touched, since he was thinking about Harry on his first date. There was more than enough for the three of them.

Remus scrubbed his face with the heel of his hand. He had been lucky so far on the godfather side of things, as he really hadn't had much to do. Now, though, he had to get to the bottom of this.

With the two mugs of tea, he went to Harry's room and knocked lightly on the door. "Harry, it's Remus. Can I come in?"

There was silence for a few long moments, then the door opened slightly to reveal a disheveled Harry, still in his dueling robes, and his eyes were bright and red rimmed. "Remus? What are you doing here?"

"Sirius called, wanted to talk. Can I come in and talk to you?"

Harry's face fell, and he nodded, waving the man in, and pulled out the two chairs. He sat hard in one of them, keeping his head down. "Go ahead," he said dully, waving to the other chair, ready for more harsh words about his brash actions.

Remus sat in the second chair, and waited.

The silence grew too much for Harry. He kept his head down, but spoke aloud. "Aren't you going to yell at me, too?"

"Well, before I say anything, I'd like to hear what happened," Remus said, shrugging.

"I'm sure Sirius already told you," Harry muttered. "I wanted a fellow student, someone my own age, to die a horrible death; if it weren't for Sirius, I probably would have hurt him, maybe fatally. If it weren't for Sirius, I might be in Azkaban right now." His throat tightened at the last words, and he barely managed to say them aloud.

Remus could tell that no matter what he said or did right then, Harry was beating himself up worse than anyone could. "What did he do?" There was something missing from the story, and he really wanted to know what.

So Harry told him about Brianna, how they met and also their date, then the confrontation with the Malfoys before lunch. He gave a detailed description of Brianna and Draco's duel, and what Draco had said to Harry before they left, while Sirius was still restraining Harry. He told him about the rage that had filled him, until he couldn't take it any more. He bent at the waist, gagging on the bile that had risen, trying to suppress his sobs.

Remus was speechless during the story. He knew of Harry's loyalty to people that he cared about, but clearly this girl had gotten past his barriers quicker than anyone else. Not to mention, Harry could have been a Hufflepuff with his idea of fairness and decency, neither of which were qualities that either Malfoys possessed. When he heard about the spells that harmed her, he, too, was furious. As he saw his godson double over and struggle to breathe, he jumped up, conjured a bucket to put on the ground in front of Harry, and knelt by his chair. He rubbed gentle circles in his back, and murmured quietly to him. "Breathe, Harry," he urged quietly. "It'll pass, just breathe."

Harry spat some of the bile into the bucket, and struggled to focus solely on Remus' voice. After a few minutes, he was able to sit up again, but he rubbed his scar fervently.

"Headache?" Remus asked.

"My scar's been hurting today. Obviously not the most important, but I'll send the headmaster an owl before too long." Harry looked up at Remus for the first time. "Aren't you going to yell at me? Tell me what a monster I am, and how I'm just like Voldemort?" he demanded.

Remus felt as though he'd been slapped, and he gripped Harry's head firmly between his hands. "First of all, you are not a monster, nor are you going to become like Voldemort," he stated, eyes kind but at the same time unyielding. "I remember a certain boy telling me not long ago that I wasn't a monster, and now you get to hear it as well. Also, I'm not going to yell at you for two reasons. One, it doesn't solve anything, it just makes things worse. Second, no matter what I say, nothing will hurt you more than what is already going through your mind. No, I don't think that you should have such a fiery desire to harm Draco, but you did nothing to him. You didn't harm a hair on his pampered, spoiled head. Not to mention the fact that you would have been stopped before you could have harmed Draco; his father, your father, and the judges would have stepped in before anything happened, so there is no way you would be in Azkaban right now. In trouble, yes, and definitely disqualified from the tournament. I do think that you and Sirius need to have a calm discussion about what was said earlier. I'm also worried about your scar being in such pain right now. Before dinner, I'll Floo Albus, as well as give you a pain reliever." They had found a slightly stronger pain potion that helped, though it just took the edge off the pain. Sirius had stocked up on a few of them when he was last at Diagon Alley.

"Will Sirius want to talk to me?" Harry whispered, agonized. He remembered before Christmas, Sirius saying that he would never want to get rid of Harry, but this was pretty bad.

Remus gave him a sad smile. "Of course he'll want to talk to you. I sent him out to get dinner, but he'll be back soon. Now, I'll go firecall Albus to tell him about your scar. How about you take a shower and get changed."

"Sure," Harry muttered, and got up to grab his things.

Remus watched him head into the bathroom, and sighed. He wished that there was a way to get Harry to snap out of it, but he supposed that it would just take time. He walked downstairs, and found Sirius setting the table for three with a large pot of stew, what smelled like fresh bread, and was setting out bowls and spoons for all of them.

"How is he?" Sirius asked without looking up.

"He's taking a shower and getting changed," Remus told him. "His scar's been hurting him, so I'm going to Floo Albus to let him know. Do you have any pain reliever?"

Sirius nodded, and walked to the bathroom to grab a vial. Remus watched him leave, then went to the Floo. "Albus Dumbledore's Office, Hogwarts, Cauldron Cakes," he said, rolling his eyes at the Headmaster's passwords.

"Remus?" Albus asked, seemingly startled. "Why didn't you just walk on up from your office?"

"I'm not currently at Hogwarts, Albus. I'm with Harry and Sirius. Harry told me a moment ago that his scar has been hurting him today, and he isn't sure why."

Dumbledore considered. "I can't think of anything that would account for the pain, but I shall talk to Severus and see what I can find out."

"Thanks," Remus said, and waited for a moment to see if there was anything the headmaster would say, then pulled his head out of the fireplace. When he looked up, he saw Harry walk hesitantly into the kitchen. He followed silently, and saw Sirius stiffen slightly when they walked in.

"Have a seat, Harry," Sirius said, then looked at Remus. "Albus have anything interesting to share?"

"Does he ever?" Remus asked with a shrug. "He'll talk to Severus and let us know if it's anything to be worried about."

Sirius nodded, and they all sat down and began serving themselves. Harry looked startled to find the vial of familiar pain reliever next to his plate. Sirius nodded at him. "Remus told me that you had a headache. Drink up."

Harry didn't meet his eyes, but threw it back, not even grimacing at the taste. They continued eating. Actually, when Remus looked between the two, he realized that they were barely eating anything, and just pushing the food around in their bowls.

He set his spoon down with a quiet clang, and the two looked up. "I think this is enough of an awkward silence for now," he said firmly. "Maybe talk first, then we can try eating?"

If anything, Harry's head drooped further down at that statement. "Harry," Sirius said. "Do you want to talk now, or wait until later tonight?"

"Either is fine," Harry mumbled.

Sirius nodded. "Very well." He pushed his bowl away from him with another sigh, and considered his words carefully. "We've been spending an increased amount of time together for nearly a year now," he stated. "Remus was the first that pointed it out, that you've begun acting a lot more like me." He trailed off, wondering where to go from there.

Remus nodded. "Yeah, that's true. Your laugh, your sense of humor, even some of your mannerisms have changed," he agreed, directing the comment to Harry.

Harry looked up at the men. "Ron mentioned it to me once. I don't think anyone else pays enough attention."

"Well, those are good things for you to adopt. There are a few things that I really, really don't want you to take from me," Sirius said strongly. "My impulsiveness and rashness, and my temper. I don't want you to start emulating me when things are going badly."

"Sirius, I haven't seen you act like that before," Harry said, running his fingers across the grain in the wood table.

"No, you haven't," Sirius said heavily. "That's because I don't want you to see that. I've tried hard to keep you from seeing it." He paused, still struggling to find the words. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier, Harry. When I said I was disappointed in you, and then left the room without talking about it wasn't fair."

Harry was confused. "Sirius, if you hadn't stopped me in the hall, I might have hurt Draco. I would've regretted it, but you stopped me before I could do anything. If anyone deserves an apology, it's you! I should have composed myself better."

Remus hid his smile. They were both too stubborn for their own good.

"Harry, the kid seriously hurt someone you care about. I didn't blame you for being upset. Just don't be too quick to deal out death and judgment."

Harry nodded quickly. "Of course. I won't, I promise."

"Well, now that's over with, shall we continue eating?" Remus suggested dryly, and the other two just chuckled slightly.

When the meal was close to being over, the light drew Harry's attention to the scars on his hands. He broached a topic that he'd been meaning to mention, but was worried about the reactions. "So, I've been wondering something lately," he started.

"What about, kiddo?" Sirius asked, starting to gather some of the plates.

"What ever happened about Umbridge?" he asked.

Sirius froze in his movements, and Remus gave him a knowing look. "I told you he was going to ask sooner or later," he reminded his friend.

Sirius groaned as he gave up trying to clear the table, and sat back down. "I forgot how much you like saying 'I told you so,' Moony," Sirius said to him, then turned back to Harry. "She was tried and convicted of illegal possession of a restricted item, illegal use of said item, and assaulting a minor. She's in Azkaban for 10 years, her wand was snapped, and all property and possessions were taken from her. 1,000 Galleons were given to me, as your guardian, in reparations for the treatment you were given by her. When she gets out of Azkaban, she'll have five more years before she can apply for another wand."

Harry was in shock. He couldn't believe everything he had just heard. "When was the trial?" he demanded.

"It was a very hurried trial that the Minister had a little over a week after her arrest. I received an owl, saying that you and I were allowed to attend, though it wasn't required. Remus had to attend, as he was the one who discovered the Quill. You weren't required to be there, because it's actually common for the victim not to appear, especially if they're a minor."

"Why didn't you tell me about it?" If he had heard about this a few hours ago, he would have been furious, but he had a much better understanding of his father after the events of the evening.

Sirius sighed again, and chose his words carefully. "The day I received the owl was the day before you were going to come home for Christmas break," Sirius told him. "I had planned on telling you after I picked you up from the station. Then, of course, we found out about Arthur's attack, and the prophecy. After both of those within 12 hours of each other, and the fact that you weren't required to give testimony, as Umbridge had been under Veritaserum for the trial, I chose not to add to your plate." He looked closely at Harry, taking in the thoughtful expression that meant that Harry was considering what he'd heard before he made a decision. "If it was the wrong choice of mine, you have my apologies again, Harry. To be honest, it didn't really cross my mind to tell you, because of what you were going through at the time."

Harry's mind was racing as he took all of that in. First, he turned to Remus. "I'm guessing the Minister tried to cover it up as much as he could, since I never heard anything about it in the Prophet?" he assumed, and Remus nodded.

"Truthfully, news of the trial would have come out only a handful of days before the article about the adoption, so I'll admit that I'm rather glad about it," Remus confessed.

Harry realized the same, and nodded adamantly. The last thing he would have wanted was more attention around that time. He turned to Sirius. "I understand why you didn't tell me about it, because I was freaking out about the prophecy, and learning and training in the Room. If something like this ever happens again, though, could you tell me about it?"

Sirius nodded at him. "You have my word."

That was good enough for Harry, and he stood to help cleaning up. Soon enough, it was time for Remus to head back to the school. After Sirius gave him a quick hug, Harry gave him one as well. "Thanks for everything."

"Of course, kiddo."

No sooner had Remus stepped through the Floo, that it flared again. "Sirius? Harry?" a female voice called. Harry was the closest, and he was immediately worried.

"Mrs. Covas, how is Brianna?" he asked, falling to his knees by the hearth. He felt Sirius rest a hand on his shoulder.

"She's doing much better. The healers have finished with their job, and Brianna might have to use a cane for about a week, but then she'll be alright."

Harry let out a breath of relief. Sirius knew that he wouldn't be able to speak for a moment, and looked at the flames. "We have some dinner left; it's not much, just a stew. Would you like us to bring it over? I'm sure that you don't want to worry about cooking after everything today," Sirius offered.

Isabella looked relieved at the offer. "That sounds wonderful, and I thank you for the suggestion. Feel free to step on through," she told them.

Sirius sent Harry on ahead while he grabbed the pot and some more bread. Harry stepped through, and smiled at the cozy living room. It was much smaller than Sirius's, but it was very homey.

"Harry, I'm glad you could come over," Marco said, eyes much warmer than before.

"Thank you for letting me," Harry said with sincerity. "Where is she?"

Marco smiled. "She's in her room, resting. It's down the hall, last door on the right."

"I'll leave the door open?" Harry asked more than stated, and received an appreciative nod. Without wasting another minute, he walked down the hall, and knocked on the door.

"Come in," he heard Brianna call.

He stepped through the door, and saw her sitting on her bed. One ankle was tightly wrapped, as was the other leg, and her hand. She was still very pale and had lines of stress on her forehead that he knew firsthand meant that she was in pain. He walked over to her and sat in the empty chair by the bed.

"How are you?" he breathed.

She smiled, and reached out with her hand and grasped his. "I'm better. I'll be able to have another pain reliever in about an hour or so. How are you doing?" she asked seriously.

Harry looked at her, incredulous. "You were the one who was injured, and you're asking how I am?"

She gave him a small smile. "Well, Lucian already sent me an owl telling me about your duel. I have to say, he sounds a bit put out that he lost so quickly, especially when he was furious as well. What I had also meant was that I know how much you dislike Malfoy, so I can imagine what you must have been thinking." She wasn't going to tell Harry about Lucian's opinion that Harry might be too dangerous to date. She was going to talk to Lucian about his worries later.

Harry chuckled darkly. "Yeah, he'll be smart to stay out of my way for the rest of the term. I've never taken lightly to anyone I care about getting hurt."

She squeezed his hand. "Thank you," she said, looking intently at him.

* * *

Sirius stepped through, and Isabella immediately grabbed the pot from him. "Let me take that for you," she said swiftly, and took it to their kitchen table.

"Thank you for offering," Marco told him, getting glasses out. "Neither of us were really wanting to leave to pick up food."

"And we didn't really have the energy to cook," Isabella said.

Sirius waved them off. "My son has been injured before, so I completely understand where you are coming from," he assured them.

"Have a seat, please. Can I get you some tea or coffee?"

"I'll take a coffee," Sirius said, smiling at the offer. "I take it Harry is already with Brianna?"

"Of course. Poor kid looked like he was about to cry," Isabella said, handing him his mug.

"What did the healers say? Will she make a full recovery?"

"She will," Marco stated, ladling stew for himself and his wife. "The Hex did a lot of damage to the surrounding muscles, nerves, and arteries, not to mention the fact that it completely obliterated both her tibia and fibula. The internal bleeding was the biggest concern at first, and now it's the nerves. The bones, muscles, and arteries are safe now, which is good."

"I'm glad to hear that," Sirius told them. "If there's anything you need, just let me know."

"Thank you."

There was silence for a time while the exhausted parents ate their meal, and Sirius nursed his coffee. Finally, Marco was the one to break the silence. "There is an issue that I think we do need to discuss."

Sirius set down the mug, and gave the man his full attention. "What is that?"

"Well, it does appear that Brianna and Harry are growing much closer much faster than I had anticipated. When Harry goes back to school, what are we going to do then?"

Sirius considered. "Thankfully, summer is not that far off. I know that he has two more Hogsmede weekends this term, so if you are amenable, she can visit the village with him." He continued to think. "When I attended there, a friend of mine and I created a set of two way mirrors to communicate, which Harry and I have been using. I can see if I remember how to make them, and create another two, and give one to Brianna." Or maybe spell Harry's to work for both Sirius's and Brianna's? Maybe he could adjust the existing Runes? He would think on it.

Marco and Isabella exchanged glances, and then nodded. "Those both seem to be appropriate solutions to the problem. Will the … young man who harmed her today be there as well, at the village?" Marco demanded.

Sirius inclined his head. "Yes, all third through seventh years are allowed to visit the village. However, he and Harry do not interact, and Harry has a large group of friends that he would be with. Also, teachers also go there to make sure that duels don't occur."

That seemed to appease the parents, and they nodded. There were still reservations, but it seemed to be safe enough. "Now, one more thing," Isabella said, and waited until she had Sirius's attention. "He is Harry Potter, and from what I've gathered over the years, he seems to attract trouble. Is there any chance that we would be targeted in order to get to him, or to you?"

Sirius bit back a groan. He had known this question would eventually come, but he still didn't have a satisfactory answer. "There is a chance," he admitted. "Voldemort feels that he cannot win unless Harry is dead, so he and his followers have tried hard to find him and end him." He raised his brows when they simply continued to watch him and wait. "I, along with his godfather who is now a professor at the school, have been working hard with him, teaching him things that he might now. He has also been taking lessons in Healing from the school nurse." Feeling he had dodged the question for as long as he could, he sighed. "Yes, there is a chance he might try and attack your family in either revenge, or to try and draw Harry out. I understand if you no longer want Brianna to associate with my son because of this." Just saying those words hurt far more than he thought they would. He had seen Harry interact with this girl in a far different way than he had seen before, and couldn't imagine having to tell Harry that he could no longer see her.

Thankfully, Marco shook his head. "No, I don't believe that we are quite at that point just yet," he told Sirius, and Isabella nodded. "However, it is a concern, as you can understand. My question for you, is how powerful do you believe Voldemort is already?"

* * *

While they continued their serious discussion, Harry was trying to lighten the mood slightly with Brianna, knowing firsthand how important it was to keep her mind off the pain.

"So, when we were talking about school and classes, you said that you took DADA and Dueling. I've never heard of a dueling class before."

"Really?" she asked, surprised. "I wouldn't have guessed; you're really good for not having any formal training."

He shrugged. "Who teaches you guys?"

"Madame Baudin. She used to teach at Beauxbatons as their DADA teacher, but she left a few years before, and moved to our town. Papa spoke with her when Thom, Ica, Brian, and Marian didn't want to go to Hogwarts after they got their letters, and she agreed to tutor us in some of the subjects."

Harry smiled. It was clear that Brianna and her friends enjoyed the homeschooling that they were receiving. "What subjects does she teach you?"

"Most of them, actually. She teaches DADA, Dueling, Transfiguration, History, and Runes. Thom's father teaches Charms, Arithmancy, and Astronomy, and my mum teaches Herbology, CoMC, and Potions. Stefen will help us learn some Dark Arts if it comes up in DADA, and Papa will go through Wizarding Culture a few times a month."

It was impossible for Harry to feel sorry for the girl for not being able to attend Hogwarts. It seemed as though she had everything she needed right there. He even told her so.

She smiled sadly. "Yeah, we have quite a lot here that I'm sure not everyone else gets. I just wish that I could see the castle, and meet so many of the other students. It sounds like such a magical place."

"It can be," Harry told her. "Although, until recently, it was more of a hassle than you'd think. House rivalry was always a problem until earlier this year, and there always seems to be some big problem at the end of the year."

A knock on the door interrupted them, and Marco leaned in. "Harry, I'm sorry, but Brianna needs to have her potions and get some rest."

"Of course," Harry said quickly, and stood. He still wanted to stay on the man's better side. "Er, are you guys going to come tomorrow, or should I just let you know the results tomorrow night?"

Brianna looked at her father, who smiled. "If the healers say that she is allowed to move around, we'll be there."

Harry thanked him profusely, and squeezed Brianna's hand tightly before letting go. "I hope you feel better," he murmured.

She smiled at him, and he walked out of the room, seeing Sirius waiting for him at the Floo. "Ready, kiddo?" he asked softly, and Harry nodded at him. They thanked the Covas' again for letting them come over, and went back home.

When they walked into the living room, Sirius surprised Harry by pulling him into a hug, and held him tightly.

"Sirius?" Harry whispered, wondering what was going on.

"I know it's been a long day for you, and I'm sorry for how things kind of exploded between us earlier. All I could think of was how you sounded exactly like I did that Halloween before I went after that rat, the thought of you risking yourself like that…"

Harry stopped him by grabbing him back tightly to stop the rambling. "Sirius, you have to forgive yourself for what you did that night. You were an Auror, one of the best, from what I've heard. Yeah, you were reckless about it, but you were trying to do what you did for a living: apprehend a criminal. I never blamed you, and I'm pretty sure that my parents wouldn't either. I'm sorry for how I acted earlier, and I'm glad that you were able to stop me."

Sirius sighed as they let go of each other, and ruffled his son's hair. "You're a good kid, you know that?"

Harry flushed slightly at the compliment, but needed to lighten the mood just a bit. "Of course I am. How could that come as a surprise to you?"

Sirius snorted at the comment. "Whatever you need to believe," he said. "Get some sleep, pup. I daresay tomorrow is going to be exciting."

Harry nodded at him, and made his way to his room, still thinking about the day, which was far longer than he would have thought. He really hoped that he had gotten through to Sirius about going after Peter, but he assumed that it would take more than that to completely convince him. He mentally groaned; why did his father have to be so bloody stubborn?

* * *

**Yeah, this one was the longest I've posted yet, and I hope it flowed alright, but I couldn't find a better place to end it.  
**

**A few notes on this chapter. Yes, Harry exploded when Brianna was hurt, and they've only been on one date and known each other for three days. However, he and Ron rescued Hermione when they'd barely talked before, Harry rescued Ginny when they had _never_ had a real conversation, and Harry mastered a NEWT level charm at 13 to save his godfather whom he'd known was innocent for almost no time at all. I think it's part of his 'saving people thing', and not really out of character for him. **

**I've had a lot of people commenting on how Sirius seems perfectly fine after his time in Azkaban, and truthfully, he's also putting on a mask around Harry, wanting to be the shoulder for Harry to lean on. I hope this chapter helped in realizing that no, he is not fully recovered, but still struggling with everything. Plus, he and Harry never really had much of an argument before, so I thought I would hit two birds with one stone, while still making it realistic. **

**As far as Umbridge, there really was no decent place to put a trial for her, and I do believe that Fudge would have been embarrassed by it, so he would have tried to cover it up as best he could. For anyone who thinks that not having Harry attend seems strange, I'll chalk that up to Wizarding customs that haven't changed over the centuries. Honestly, with Veritaserum, there wasn't much need for Harry to be there, especially considering what was going on for him during that time with Arthur and the Prophecy.**


	29. Chapter 29

**This one is a bit shorter than the last couple (though that really didn't take much). It's the end of the tournament, but not Harry's break. Also has a peek back into canon with a major event. :-)**

**I would like to extend a huge thank you to** Eclipticvibe **for helping me with plot ideas and fixing a few of my mistakes lately. Merci Beaucoup!  
**

* * *

When they got to the tournament the next day, Harry looked around quickly. He didn't see Brianna, but then again, they were pretty early. He saw Draco, but worked to suppress the snarl that threatened to erupt from him. He was surprised, though, to note that Lucius wasn't there with his son. Why would Malfoy Sr. be there for the semifinals, but not the finals? There was something fishy going on, but he wasn't sure what it was just yet.

As he thought about it, his scar twinged, and he resisted the urge to rub it, not wanting Sirius to worry about it. The two of them went to the board, and saw that Harry was dueling Jean Hernes as the last duel before lunch.

"Want to sit down before your duel, or do you want to stretch out now?" Sirius asked.

Harry considered, and decided that since there was a chance that he would be dueling three times that day (if he was lucky), he wanted to have extra time to warm up. When he mentioned that, Sirius nodded, stating that it was smart.

Sirius was glad that they had gotten there so early, as it let him have a great seat to not only see the duel, but he could get up quickly to congratulate, or comfort, Harry. Just as Harry was about to head off, Sirius saw something out of the corner of his eyes. "Harry," he nudged, and nodded towards the door.

Brianna limped in, leaning heavily on her cane, with her parents not far behind. Both were looking around, as though to make sure there were no threats. Harry and Sirius waved them over, and Harry had to resist the urge to help her sit down. He knew from experience that he hated people treating him differently when he was injured, and he wasn't going to subject her to that. He did, however, give her a very tight hug when she was within arms' reach. He missed the look that Sirius and Marco gave each other, and just held Brianna tightly.

"How are you?" he asked when they separated. He quickly helped her sit down, and didn't miss as she massaged her leg slightly.

"Better," she told him with a smile. "The Healer said that I can't overdo it today, or I risk the nerves again, but another few days and I'll be good as new."

Anything Harry was about to say was drowned out as the gong announced the beginning duel. He gave Brianna another hug, then went off to the side to warm up. Simply seeing her was a reminder of why he was going to crush Draco, should the blond be unfortunate enough to be paired with him.

The first pair of duelers squared off, and Harry kept an eye on them. He didn't recognize the first dueler, but he did recognize Melanee, who had come back from her duel with Katrina with a vengeance. They were both intensely focused on their duel. At this point, it was give all or go home, and they all knew it. He saw a lot of different techniques as they fought off magical and physical exhaustion. After almost twenty minutes of all out fighting, the wizard went flying, and his head hit the mat with a sickening crunch. Harry watched as the healers swarmed once more, and helped him off.

The announcer called the next two up for their duel, and Harry gritted his teeth as Draco strutted up, looking as though he had already won the trophy. He paused in his warm ups to give the duel his full attention.

It appeared that Draco had taken the warnings that he'd been given the day before to heart, as he hadn't sent anything quite as Dark. Not that he was giving an inch, since the spells he was sending were a bit border-line. There were a lot of Blasting hexes and Reductos, but his opponent had a very powerful shield.

It wasn't enough, it appeared, as the shield failed, and the witch flew back with a Banishing charm, and landed awkwardly on her back, her wand flying from her hand, which Draco summoned to him. She maintained her pride, though, and refused to have the healers attend to her on the mat, and limped off on her own. She did, however, go with them to the infirmary.

Of the next two duelers, Harry only recognized Sven, the large wizard that had dueled Brianna on the first day, that Harry assumed had troll blood in him somewhere. That duel, surprisingly, didn't last very long. Sven clearly didn't have a strong shield, as he never needed one, and simply made sure that he wasn't hit with many spells at once. He knocked his opponent out in less than ten minutes, which was the quickest of the three that day.

Harry and Jean met on the mat, and Harry worked to control his nerves. When they were instructed to begin, Harry kept his body taut and ready to move, but he waited, remembering the advice that Sirius gave him on the first day. Jean paused for only a moment before she sent him a hex, which he blocked with a shield, only flicking his wrist.

Confused, Jean sent two more, which he dodged. She started sending him more, which he either dodged or blocked, and he could see her bewilderment at his behavior. When she paused for a moment, he leapt into action, and started flinging spells as quickly as he could say them.

She hadn't made it this far in the competition on her looks, though. She blocked and dodged with impressive reflexes, and started sending a few back to him.

With a spell that Harry had never even heard of, she conjured a golden lasso , which she wielded with her wand over her head for only a moment before she sent it sailing over to him. He threw himself to the side, and felt it nick his left shoulder.

Using the reflexes that made him a Seeker, he snapped his right hand over and grabbed part of the golden rope. When he didn't feel pain, he gave the rope a strong yank. Jean's eyes widened when she realized what he was doing, and quickly countered the spell so that the rope vanished, leaving Harry off kilter for a moment, and she cast a frantic Flipendo. It caught Harry's foot, but with a twist, he kept his balance, and sent a Stunner and an Incarcerous. She shielded both spells, and sent a few of her own.

Thinking hard, Harry thought back to all of the Transfiguration and Charm work he had started to incorporate into his duels. As he continued to block her constant stream of spells, he focused on one that Flitwick had just taught in class before Christmas break.

Focusing on Jean's robe sleeves, he muttered the charm to lengthen it. While she was distracted by the alarm, rightly caused by her clothes moving without her command, he focused on the movement that his sponsor had taught him after class, knowing it worked wonders in a duel. He flourished his wand in a crescent moon, then slashed upwards, and her arm was forced up by the sleeve.

She was barely touching the floor with her toes as she struggled to pull her arm back down, and Harry easily Disarmed her, catching the wand, then Stunning her for good measure.

The hall was silent for a moment, then people started clapping at the Charm work that he'd done. Harry panted before he went to revive his opponent. When she blinked blearily at him, he knelt next to her. "You alright?" he asked as he handed her the wand.

"Shoulder's a bit sore," she muttered, and accepted his help up. Like Draco's opponent, Jean was going to salvage her pride by walking off on her own. "That was some nice Charm work, I never really thought of something like that."

"Your lasso was a nice touch," Harry admitted. "It was a good job Vanishing it before I pulled your wand out of your hand."

She smiled and thanked him, and the judges announced that the lunch break was extended to three hours, as it gave the remaining four duelists a chance to rest and recharge before their next duel.

Harry wiped his forehead free of sweat as he went out to find his party. Sirius grinned at him. "Is Flitwick giving you extra help?" he muttered. "I remember that spell, but it wasn't until later when Lily used it on James."

Harry chuckled. "He covered how to charm clothes, but yeah, he worked with me on how to use it in a duel." In truth, he was growing quite close to the tiny professor, who was quite brilliant. Not that it was shocking, given what House he was head of. It was becoming quite common for him to spend extra time with Flitwick, either throughout the week, or spending some time together after a DA meeting.

"That was great, Harry," Isabella told him, giving him a smile. "Ready for some food?"

"Definitely," Harry said with a smile. He stood next to Brianna as they made their way into the food court.

As Harry was helping Brianna navigate the crowd - not wanting her to get reinjured by everyone - Sirius, Marco, and Isabella went to get the food for everyone. They came back not long later with Mexican food, and passed everything out.

It was clear that the start of the meal was going to be a bit difficult, as a lot of people were coming up to Harry to congratulate him on the duel, and also to Brianna to see if she was alright, having witnessed the rather brutal duel from the day before.

Finally, Harry was getting annoyed because their food was getting cold, since they spent more time greeting and thanking people than they did eating. So he sent a heating charm to their food, and sent up a Notice Me Not charm over them. It didn't make them invisible, or even Disillusioned, but just made it so that people didn't really take note of them sitting there.

Marco chuckled into his plate, amused at the teen's actions. "I would think you'd be used to this kind of thing," he said.

Harry scowled slightly before Sirius nudged him warningly. Harry nodded and cleared his face. "Contrary to popular belief, I hate my fame. Thankfully, most of my school is used to attending with me by now. It's just the first handful of days with the new first years."

Marco and Isabella smiled. They were grateful that he wasn't some stuck up ponce that had sights on their daughter, but more of a humble, shy teen.

They finished their meal in relative peace, and spent the rest of the break talking quietly amongst themselves. Harry and Sirius learned that Isabella, in addition to teaching the students in the village, was a private brewer. As St. Mungo's often needed hundreds of potions for all of their patients, they contracted out to multiple brewers. That they bought from Snape was no surprise; though his attitude and teaching might leave something to be desired, he _was_ the youngest Potions Master in decades. Isabella might be a Potions Mistress, but she had just recently gotten her Mastery. Marco was an author, having written books on Wizarding Culture in Spanish for the Muggleborns in Spain, and all the Spanish speaking countries around the world.

All too soon, in Harry's opinion, it was time to head out and check the board to see when and who he was dueling. He found he was dueling Sven, and he grinned. It was going to be a challenge, but he wasn't as worried. It seemed like more of a mental challenge, to try and think about the duels that he had seen his opponent in, and what his weakness could be. He saw that he was first up, and then it was the duel between Draco and Melanee. He was surprised to see that there was a scheduled break for the two finalists. It was an hour long, to give them a chance to recharge before the Final, he assumed.

As Harry started stretching, having gotten slightly stiff, Sirius came over to give him a pep talk. "How you holding up, kiddo?" he asked, helping Harry stretch his arms.

"A bit nervous, but I think I have a plan," he said, moving on to his legs.

"Just keep your head," he advised. "Don't get frustrated if you're going to be out there for a while. End it quickly if you can, since you have another duel after this one when you win," he said with a wink, "but don't be surprised if it takes a bit."

Harry started nodding, then cried out as his scar suddenly seared white hot, and his vision blurred for a split second. He couldn't help it when he grabbed it and bent forward slightly, gritting his teeth.

"Har!" Sirius whispered, leading him away. The duel started in five minutes, but this was more important. "What is it?" he asked frantically.

"He's excited about something," Harry gritted out, keeping his shields up as strongly as he could. "Something is going to happen soon that's he's been waiting for."

Sirius silently waved to Marco, who quickly walked over. Sirius mouthed at him to get a grade 3 pain reliever from the nurse's station, and Marco walked off, returning moments later with the all too familiar vial.

"Drink up, pup," Sirius said, uncapping it, and handing it over. He noticed that Harry's hands were still shaking slightly, but his color was better than before. "Anything that I need to inform Dumbledore about?"

Harry shook his head. "Remus told him about my scar hurting yesterday, but it's pretty much the same thing. There's nothing specific that I can think of to bother him with."

Sirius nodded, and Marco looked at him, noticing that Harry still had his head bowed and his eyes closed. "This happen often?" he mouthed.

Sirius shrugged. "Often enough. I'll tell you later," he mouthed. He would again give bare details, not wanting people to know the connection between that monster and his son. Marco just nodded at him before heading back to his seat. "Are you alright to compete, or should you forfeit?" he asked, seeing that they only had moments before Harry needed to be on the mat.

Harry shook his head to clear it, and rubbed the scar again. "I'll be fine. I'm not sure if I'll be able to watch Draco's duel or not, but I can handle my own."

Sirius nodded, and steadied him for a minute. "Remember, if it flares up again and you need to withdraw, drop your wand and raise both hands. The judges will stop the duel immediately."

Harry just nodded at him, remembering that part in the rules. He wasn't going to do that, though. He knew that it was only a matter of time before he had once again duel for his life, and he needed to fight through the pain. "I guess that answers why Lucius isn't here, though," he muttered to Sirius. "If Voldemort is planning something, he'll want Malfoy there with him."

Sirius nodded as well, and knew that Harry wasn't going to withdraw unless the pain was unbearable. He was going to keep a close eye on this duel, though he'd been planning on it anyway. "Alright, you'd better get up there, it's about to start."

Harry nodded again, and made his way up to the mat where Sven was waiting for him.

"Good luck," Sven said in a thick German accent.

"You as well," Harry told him, wiping his sweaty hands on his robes.

As soon as the duel started, Harry abandoned all thoughts of using brute spell strength to win. He knew that his spell strength was very high, but he wasn't going to win this one on that alone. He was going to have to wear Sven down first.

Harry simply dodged the spells that Sven was sending his way, and started casting anything that he thought might affect his opponent's balance. So he sent Tripping and Jelly Legs jinxes, Flipendo, Levi Corpus, Petrificus Totalus, and Incarcerous. Few of his spells had any effect, but he continued on, never one to be deterred.

When Sven cast an Incendio straight at Harry's head, he threw himself to the side, meaning to do a half cartwheel to gain his balance again, but cried out when he landed awkwardly and heard a crunch in his middle finger on his left hand. He regained his footing quickly, and fought through the pain.

Sirius winced when he saw Harry buckle slightly and cradle his left hand to his chest, and sat on the edge of his seat. His son was the most stubborn person in the world, though Remus would likely argue and say the second most next to Sirius himself, and wasn't going to end the duel until it was officially over.

Harry bit his lip hard to clear away the pain in his hand, and continued sending anything he could think to do. Finally, there was a stroke of luck. The Banishing charm he sent caught Sven on his shoulder, and he fell hard to the ground. Not one to waste a golden opportunity, Harry quickly disarmed him and bound him in ropes.

When he was announced the winner, he nearly collapsed in relief. That had taken a lot out of him. One of the judges unbound Sven, and Harry handed him his wand back, grinning ruefully at him. "That was one hell of a duel," he admitted.

"You as well. I heard that crack," he said, pointing to Harry's hand. "You might want to get it looked at." Then he grinned. "I guess if I had to be knocked out of the tournament, it was best to be by the Boy Who Lived. Won't get me teased as much when I go home."

Harry shrugged at the old nickname, and shook Sven's hand before walking off the mat to Sirius, who was silently freaking out. Yeah, he was a mother hen to rival Madam Pomfrey, he wasn't going to lie.

"Let's get you looked at," Sirius said worriedly, looking at the crooked digit.

"Sirius, it's a broken finger," Harry said with a grin, though he was in pain. "I've had worse."

"I'm actually aware of that, you know, having been there when you get patched up each time," Sirius told him with raised brows. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't always need to be, though."

"Soon as the war is over, I'll knock it off," Harry told him, barely joking anymore as his scar gave another twinge.

Sirius growled at the truth in that, and led him to the nurses' station. There was more than one reason that he really wasn't fond of the idea of Harry becoming an Auror, and this was one of them.

The nurse wasn't at all like Poppy, Harry thought. She didn't tut at him over dangerous sports and boys with too much adrenaline. Rather, she was quite professional, waving her wand over his hand to locate the exact break, and warned him that it would hurt. He assured her that he was used to it, and to go ahead. She shrugged, and spoke the spell that would realign the bone, and then splinted it and gave him a tiny does of Skele-Grow, which was just as disgusting as he remembered. She told him that it would be about four hours before the bone was completely healed, but he could take the splint off in three.

Harry groaned when he realized that he was going to be in the splint for his duel with Malfoy, and the brat didn't need anything else to use for his advantage. "Will it be a problem if I took it off for my next duel in about an hour and a half?" he asked.

The mediwitch glared at him. "It won't kill you if that's what you mean. There is a chance that it could rebreak. I won't stop you if you take it off, but I will blister your ears if I have to heal it again," she warned.

Harry smirked at that and agreed that she was welcome to it, but only if it was just the finger that she had to heal. She chuckled at his blasé attitude about his, likely, impending injuries and turned to Sirius.

"Is he always like this?" she demanded.

"You have no idea," Sirius told her ruefully. "Though feel free to blister his ears when you heal him again, regardless of the injury. He doesn't listen to my lectures anymore."

Harry raised a brow. "Considering some of the stories you've told me, you shouldn't be surprised if I don't listen to your lectures," he reminded.

Sirius knew that he would regret telling Harry some of his stories as an Auror. In his defense, he had only done it to reassure the kid after the fiasco at Beauxbatons when Harry threw him into the wall. He should have known that it would come back and bite him in the arse.

Harry decided that watching Draco and Melanee duel would likely just freak him out about his next, and last, duel, he chose to stay put. "Why is it that I already know who I'm dueling next?"

Sirius nodded. "That would be because you are aware of the dirty tricks that the baby Malfoy uses when he duels, and there is no way he is going to pass up the opportunity to duel you."

Harry thought about that. It was true that he and Draco had never had an all out duel, just the two of them. There were always teachers, namely Snape, who stopped them right before one of them could throw the first curse. He shrugged at the thought. At least now they would know who the better dueler was, and they would both be fighting with everything they had.

When they heard the gong signal the end of the round, they made their way back into the hall, and found Melanee being taken quickly by the healers past them. Harry swallowed thickly at the amount of blood she was covered in, and looked over at Draco, who was decidedly smug about yet another win.

He decided to ignore the blond, and made his way over to the Covas'. "Are you alright?" Brianna asked as soon as he sat down, looking quickly at his splinted finger.

"It was a clean break. I'm taking this off before the duel," Harry told her, omitting the part where it was against healer's orders. He really didn't want another lecture about how it was a bad idea.

The four of them sitting with Harry made sure to distract him for the hour break. In truth, Harry could feel that he was getting tired, though it was mostly physical, since he really had been slacking on any type of physical training. He was going to have to fix that when he got back. Brianna told him stories about her and her friends, and the adventures they would have in the Muggle world from time to time. Sirius regaled them with tales about his days with the Marauders. Harry had heard all of them at that point, though he enjoyed watching Brianna's reactions.

Far too soon, in Harry's mind, it was ten minutes before the final duel, and he wanted to stretch again, as he'd gotten a bit stiff. Sirius went through the stretches with him, and helped him warm up slightly. He gave his son a quick but firm hug. "Good luck, son," he whispered.

"Thank you," Harry murmured back, before he took a breath, squared his shoulders, and walked onto the mat.

He and Draco stood on opposite corners of the mat, and the announcer stepped between them. "For our Final, we have Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter-Black," he announced, and waited for the cheering to quiet before he continued. "This duel has no time limit, and first blood drawn is no longer the end of the match. Your opponent must be down for two minutes and stay down before the duel is ended. Once incapacitated, no more curses are to be used against that dueler until he is back up or the two minutes have passed." Clearly a warning against cheap shots. "No Unforgivables are allowed, as always. If one opponent is in imminent danger, the duel will be ended with that dueler as the loser. Duelers are allowed to heal themselves if they know the spells. Duelers, do you understand these rules?"

"I do."

"I do."

"Very well," he said, stepping back slightly, and waiting until the two had bowed, though it was more of a jerk of the head for both of them, they walked away, and got into stance. "Begin!"

Draco immediately started with the strongest spells he could think of, clearly wanting to burn Harry out early.

Harry, meanwhile, was sticking strictly to DADA spells, for the moment. He was hoping that he could get Draco thinking that he was staying true to his number one strength, and then switch. It wasn't much of a strategy, but since there was no time limit, he had the chance to do it.

The two of them were circling each other as they continued flinging spells at each other. Harry noticed that Draco had a _very_ strong shield, and rarely ever dodged. He assumed it had some type of pureblood reasoning, but he wasn't sure.

Using the only second he had, he sent a Stunner, followed by Scourgify, just to throw him off slightly. Sure enough, Draco paused to stare incredulously at him, and Harry delved into his more painful repertoire and sent a perfectly aimed Conjuctivitis, and Draco howled in pain as his right eye was stung, and brought up a powerful shield.

"I'm going to get you for that, you little jumped up halfblood," Draco snarled, holding his eye with a hand while keeping the shield up. "I hope you told you blood traitor dogfather what you want on your gravestone."

Harry didn't bother gracing that with a response, but started sending spells to try and break Draco's shield.

Suddenly, Draco used a few brain cells, and Disillusioned himself, causing Harry to curse under his breath for a moment before he thought about what he could do. Remembering a spell that Sirius had taught him, he spun around, spraying a white powder everywhere, but not before he was cursed in the back with a Slicing Curse, which cut deep.

"Arg!" Harry grunted, forcing himself not to fall forward. Instead, he spun quickly. "Clair Lumiere!" he whispered forcefully. That was one of the French spells that he had learned during his travel, and was the equivalent of shining a bright light in your opponent's eyes. Combined with the earlier curse, it had to be painful.

Now that Draco was, while still Disillusioned, covered in the powder and clearly visible, it was much easier. Harry continued trying to disorient Draco by then casting a new spell he'd only worked on in the Room. "Campanous!" Sirius had told him about that one, since it was a Spanish spell that was the equivalent of having a bell covering the head of your opponent and ringing it. Draco grunted and winced, once again forced to shield himself as he couldn't know where Harry was at that moment as he tried desperately to orient himself. His concentration failed, and the Disillusion charm faltered, then dropped completely.

Harry sent spell after spell to break through the shield, going for Blasting Hexes, since he knew that they were currently shielded, and they would drain the shield quicker than simple Stunners.

"Sectumsempra!" Draco yelled more than once, and caught Harry on the side of his right leg as he tried to dodge it, remembering that god awful spell from when Malfoy Sr. used it.

Blood started spurting from the deep cuts, and given the fact that his back was still bleeding from the earlier curse, Harry knew that he was going to be in trouble soon. He quickly cast two more Banishing charms to keep Draco shielding, and then made a quick decision. He quickly found the deepest gash and healed it. He knew that it was a piss poor job, but it stopped the bleeding, at least. He would have it looked at later.

Just as the wound closed, he dodged to the side just in time to miss the bone breaking hex as an enraged Draco went back to offensive, his eye bleeding and swelling rapidly. "I hope there's still room next to your mudblood mother to bury you, Potter," he snarled. "Granted, I wouldn't be happy to have you near me, even in death, so there's a chance that she made sure to keep you away when you died. Given that she was willing to die rather than raise you, I would completely understand if…"

Harry wasn't about to listen to his drivel, and continued thinking about his options. The duel had been going for a while, and the mat was a mess of, literally, blood sweat and tears from the two of them, not to mention the powder.

He cast a Disarming Charm, and felt his injured leg buckle slightly. The distraction was what Draco needed, and shouted an Incarcerous, which Harry didn't fully dodge, and wrapped around his ankles. The rope burned against the still open cuts, and when Harry fell, he knew that he had rebroken his finger. As he fell, he shouted, "Avis," hoping that the birds would keep Draco busy just long enough. He cast a rapid Diffindo and jumped back to his feet. Draco had incinerated the birds, but was distracted long enough for Harry to clip him with a Stunner, and down he went.

Knowing that he hadn't hit him full on, he quickly disarmed him, and bound him in ropes. The judges started counting the two minutes. Harry chose not to waste his time, and healed the gashes on his leg as best he could, though he could tell that he needed a blood replenisher very soon.

At one minute, Draco started thrashing in the ropes, though Harry had a wand in each hand. He had finished healing his leg, and held both Malfoy's wand as well as his own, on the blond, and waited. Just as the time hit two minutes, Draco got free from the ropes.

As the gong sounded, Draco's face changed from its usual pale to beet red in his fury, and he reached in his robes for something. Harry tensed, waiting for it to be a second wand, as Sirius had told him that some wizards kept two on their person at all times.

No, it was a chain that, even from the distance, Harry could tell had something dangerous about it. Draco threw it with all his strength at Harry as he drew a breath to scream something, and suddenly things moved in slow motion.

He could hear the judges yell, he could hear Sirius scream for him to move, and he watched as the chain got closer. He raised his own wand and screamed an Impedimentia to slow it down, then threw himself out of the way.

He heard the chain fall mere inches from his leg, and he continued to scamper away, fear stealing his breath away. He didn't care about the tournament at that moment; he raised his wand again and Stunned Malfoy. Properly, this time, but didn't bother to watch him after that.

Sirius flew up to the stage, as he had been in motion after he had seen Draco throw something at his son. As Death Eater spawn, he knew that anything Draco threw at Harry immediately upon losing could not be good.

He didn't breathe again until he landed on the stage and pulled Harry several yards from the chain. "Are you alright?" he demanded, checking him for injuries.

Harry was wide eyed, and didn't even realize that the entire hall was on their feet and silent, wondering what on earth just happened. He worked hard to catch his breath. "It didn't hit me," he gasped, looking around for the object, and dropped Draco's wand. He checked his palm, but nothing seemed to be wrong. "What the hell was that?" he demanded, heart still in his throat.

The judges hadn't revived Draco, and the healers were edging forward to look at their patients. An Auror stopped them, though. "I will let you know, sir," the red clad man said as he approached the chain, squatted down next to it, and started waving his wand in circles as he muttered under his breath. "This is a portkey," he finally announced, and waved the healers forward after he cast a spell to deactivate the portkey. While he would have loved to know where it went to if a Malfoy had thrown it, he knew that it was not safe in the slightest. It could have taken him to Malfoy Manor, to the middle of a dragon nest, or event to Voldemort himself. Better to err on the side of caution. "I will take this man into custody and question him," he promised Sirius, as Harry was being force fed a potion and the healers worked over him. "I will let you know what we find out." With that, he levitated the chain into a bag, grabbed Draco by his ropes, accepted the wand that Sirius tossed to him, and left.

"Winner of the tournament is Harry Potter-Black," the announcer called lamely. In all the years he had been doing this, it was a first that this had happened.

The crowd was cheering, but it was nothing compared to the talking and whispering that Harry heard. The healers tried to get him to follow them, but he batted them away. "I walked onto this mat, and I will walk off of it," he snapped. His heart was still beating a mile a minute at what could have just happened. What if it had been a portkey straight to Voldemort? He would be dead, and that was a guarantee.

"Congratulations, Mr. Potter-Black," the judges all told him as they handed him the large trophy that they had just inscribed with his name and the date.

Harry accepted it, grimaced for the cameras, then passed it to Sirius, who was standing next to him. "Let's get you looked at, pup," he whispered, pained.

Harry didn't bother, and they walked off the mat. Brianna and her parents met them at the nurses' station, where Harry was bustled onto a stretcher.

"I know I promised you a scolding," the nurse said with a stern look, then she sighed. "But I don't have the heart for it after that. Let me see your back first. Did they give you a blood replenisher?"

Harry was completely out of it, and wasn't paying attention to anything going on around him. All he could think about was Draco. Where was the portkey programmed to go? Was it a failsafe, in case Harry didn't die during the tournament? Was it even meant for Harry originally, or was Draco improvising by using a portkey he always had on him?

So many questions, and he doubted he would get a satisfactory answer to any of them. The next thing he knew, Sirius pulled him into a hug, and Harry realized that the room was empty. "How are you?" he breathed.

Harry, only then, realized that he was shaking. "I'm not sure," he replied. "I'm wondering what the hell just happened, that's for sure. I have about a million questions going through my brain."

"No kidding," Sirius said, pulling back. He saw Harry calm down slightly. "Now, Isabella invited us over to celebrate your win, but I understand if you just want to go home."

Harry shook his head. "No, she went through the trouble. I can't guarantee how long I'm going to stay," he warned.

Sirius nodded. "I think that you going will be enough for them," he replied, and the two walked out of the room.

Harry was immediately engulfed in a hug, Brianna's cane clattering to the floor. Harry was about to raise his shields, then realized that Brianna was holding her song in as tightly as she could to save him the trouble. "Are you alright?" she demanded. "Did they heal you enough? Do you need to sit down?"

Harry forced a smile. "Yes, yes, and no, though you need to be off your feet," he told her with a raised brow.

She scowled playfully at him and Sirius handed her the cane back. "Well, my mother already left to start dinner. We should get going."

Marco offered to carry the trophy, and Sirius agreed gratefully. He just wanted to keep an eye on Harry. They went through the slightly more private Floo in the infirmary straight to the Covas', Marco first, then Brianna, Harry, and finally Sirius.

When Harry landed, his first reaction was to raise his wand, as he was nearly blasted off his feet by a shout of "Congratulations!"

Sirius bumped into him, and moved him forward slightly to keep from being burned, and the two of them smile. Thom and his parents, Lucian, Stefen, Ica, and about ten other people that Harry had never met before were all smiling at him.

"Let's eat, I'm sure he's starving," Isabella called from the kitchen.

"You know, we're hungry, too!" Lucian called back, and everyone started laughing.

Harry was urged forward, and he gaped at all of the food that was there. True, he had attended Hogwarts for the last several years, but this was nearly equal to one of the feasts! "Mrs. Covas, you didn't have to do this!" he protested softly, feeling a slight pang.

She waved him off, though she did squeeze his shoulder. "Nonsense. We started all of this the day before yesterday, when you, Brianna, and Lucian were all still in, and we knew that one of you would win. Go, go, eat!" she urged.

Sirius gave her a significant look and thanked her. He knew how much these gestures meant to Harry, and in turn, to him.

Everyone started eating and chatting. Harry was introduced to the other teens that were in the village and their parents. Marco filled everyone in on how the duel ended, and they sat in stunned horror at what they heard. It had been years since a dueler was lead away by an Auror, though one was always in attendance.

They all worked hard to cheer him up after that, and Harry was starting to get overwhelmed. After nearly an hour, he escaped everyone and found himself in a corner with Brianna, who had her leg propped up on pillows with the cane on the floor next to her.

"We can be a bit overpowering the first time," she said sympathetically, though with a bit of humor in her words. Her leg was killing her, since she had pushed it further than she probably should have, but it couldn't have been helped.

Harry leaned back and tried d to relax. "Yeah, but that's alright. I'm just glad that the tournament is over. Possibly the longest four days of my life."

She chuckled. "Yeah, it's pretty exhausting the first time. Though now that you've won, you'll be getting a lot of offers. Even after you go back to school," she said softly.

Harry decided that was the perfect segue into a topic he'd been a bit apprehensive to broach. "I was wondering, er, do you want to continue being, uh, together? After I go back to school, I mean?"

She smiled at his stuttering. "I would like that. My parent's and I were talking about it last night, and we had a couple ideas." She started explaining what they had talked about, then sat up in alarm.

Harry gave a cry as his head felt as though it were about to split open. He gripped it with both hands, fell off his chair, and landed on his knees, bending in half as he gripped his head. It felt as though it was splitting it half. "Get Sirius!" he cried at her.

She hesitated for only a moment, but knew that she was useless right then, and his father would know what to do. She grabbed her cane, and jumped up, looking around frantically. She finally found Sirius talking to Stefen about something a few rooms over. She staggered over to him, and he looked up in concern.

"Harry said he needs you right now!" she gasped. "He was holding his head, it looks like he's in a lot of pain!"

Stefen reached up to steady her, and Sirius waited that split second. Once he knew that she was okay, he tore through the house to find Harry. He found him in the corner, but nearly missed him, as his black hair blended in with the shadows. "Harry?" he demanded, falling to his knees in front of him. "Let me see, kiddo. Come on, lift your head," he ordered.

"Have to get home now," Harry gritted out. He could tell something bad was coming, and he didn't want to freak out everyone.

"Then let's go," he said immediately, and helped Harry up, guiding him towards the Floo. The party was still in full swing, but he looked around, and saw Marco run into the room, apparently having been alerted to the issue. "Have to leave," Sirius said shortly. "Thank you, and we'll be in touch." Without further delay, he grabbed the Floo powder and tossed it in the fire, and they were gone.

As soon as they were in the safety of their own house, Harry dropped to his knees and let out a shriek of pain that nearly stopped Sirius's heart. Then something even scarier occurred.

Harry started laughing. It wasn't his normal laugh, though. It was a maniacal, power crazy laugh, and it didn't take a genius to figure out whose laugh it was.

Knowing that he couldn't leave his son, no matter what, he sent off a frantic patronus to Albus, alerting him, and demanding his and Snape's presence immediately.

"Keep your shields up," Sirius found himself saying. "Keep him out of your head no matter what. Don't let him know about the connection. Just focus on your shields."

Harry had no idea where the soothing voice was coming from. All he knew was the pain and the thrill that was filling him. He followed the voice's instructions and brought his shields up, though it made his head pound even harder than before.

Sirius was going out of his mind with worry, but worked hard to keep his cool. He could do this. He pried one of Harry's hands away from his face, and bit his lip hard when he saw that Harry's scar had broken open and was beginning to drip blood. There were also bleeding scratches where Harry had clawed at his scar.

As the Floo flared, Sirius pulled Harry's body, which was curled tightly into a ball, further away from the fire so that he didn't get stepped on. Albus was the first through, followed swiftly by Remus, who had been with Dumbledore when he'd gotten the patronus.

"Sirius, what happened?" Albus was the first to ask, taking in the scene. Harry was curled into a ball, still clutching and clawing at his scar while alternating between screaming in pain and laughing hysterically, while Sirius was attempting to calm him.

"His scar has been hurting all day, and we were celebrating when this started," he said, waving helplessly at Harry.

Suddenly, the room quieted as Harry moaned and uncurled slightly. "Harry?" Remus croaked. He swore that he would have nightmares about that scene for a while.

"Water?" he rasped, and Remus hurried to the kitchen.

Dumbledore crouched down next to his student. "Harry, what happened? Did you see something that Tom is doing? Was it like the attack on Arthur?"

"Azkaban," Harry panted, sitting up slightly. "He broke into Azkaban, took out his supporters, and half the dementors followed him. I don't know why they all didn't, though."

Dumbledore swore, causing the other three wizards to stare at him. Before someone could comment, the Floo flared again, and Snape stepped through.

"I had a potion brewing," he explained, gripping his left arm tightly. "What happened?" His eyes swept the four wizards in front of him.

"Tom broke into Azkaban just now," Remus told him swiftly. "Harry just saw it."

Snape reached down and grabbed Harry's face in one hand. "Are you sure of what you saw?" he thundered.

"Snape!" Sirius growled, shoving him off his son. "No need to manhandle the information out of him. He'll tell you anything you want to know."

Harry reached up, and Sirius helped him onto the couch, and then drank deeply from the glass that Remus handed him, and pressed the wet flannel against his scar, where it soothed the burn.

Harry focused on his breathing and keeping his shields up, though he knew that he was now out of that bastard's head. "Malfoy, Nott, Avery, McNair, and a few others that I didn't recognize broke into Azkaban and freed dozens of Death Eaters, and they were followed out by at least a hundred dementors. The rest of them stayed at the prison. Voldemort was thrilled that he has all of his old followers back."

"Did you recognize any of the Death Eaters that escaped?" Snape demanded, mind churning with possibilities. He understood why he hadn't been told. Anything that the Dark Lord didn't want Albus to know, Snape would rarely hear about beforehand.

Harry shook his head. "I only recognized Pettigrew," he spat, unsurprised by the two growls he heard from next to him. "I don't know the others, so I couldn't tell you names."

Albus nodded. "Remus, Sirius, I am calling an Order meeting at Headquarters, and I want you both to be there. Severus, I would like you to join us, but I understand if Tom calls you away to inform you of these events."

Sirius looked at Harry. He could tell that his son wasn't up to being alone right then, and he couldn't blame him. "Much as I hate to do this, Harry, I'm going to have to bring you along."

Albus was the first to protest. "Sirius, Harry is not a member of the Order, and he cannot be there for this meeting."

"He doesn't have to sit in on the meeting. But you are barmy if you think I'm just going to leave him here by himself after having an attack like that, not to mention what he went through at the end of the tournament today," Sirius snarled, and even Snape was surprised by the tone.

Remus was the first to ask. "What happened at the tournament?" he asked worriedly. "Were you injured?" he asked Harry.

Harry looked down, remembering the moment of pure panic. He looked at Sirius, who nodded. "He faced Draco for the final. When he won, Draco threw a portkey at him. There's still a lot of unanswered questions about that, including where the portkey was programmed to go."

The adults were silent, understanding how lucky Harry had been for dodging in time. Albus was concerned. "Are you alright, Harry?"

Harry shrugged, looking at his lap. "I'm better now. It just really freaked me out at the time."

"I can only imagine," the headmaster mumbled, then sighed. "You can join us at Headquarters, but I cannot allow you to sit in on the meeting. You aren't of age yet."

Sirius nodded, and gave Harry a look that he couldn't interpret. "Go get a few things to take along. Also bring your wand," he said, though he knew that Harry went nowhere without it.

Harry didn't bother asking; he stood shakily and went to get his bag. Thinking about it, he grabbed one of his mum's potion journals. He doubted he would be able to focus on his studies that night.

When he came back into the room, he found that the headmaster and Snape had already left, and his father and godfather were just waiting on him. Remus saw him first, and looked at him.

"Are you alright, Harry?" he asked. "Sounds like this week wasn't the relaxing fun you were thinking it would be."

Harry forced a chuckle. "No, it really wasn't. So, what's going on? I remember you telling me about the Order, but where is Headquarters?" he asked Sirius.

Said man frowned as he thought about it. "Headquarters is at my family's house. It's a wreck of a place, and if circumstances were different, I wouldn't take you there. Like I said, though, I really don't want you here by yourself after today. I've got my mirror on me, and I take it you have yours? Good. The meeting room will be warded and silenced. If you need me for anything at all, call me through it, and I'll come to you."

Harry thought through all of that. "If you have a family house, why did you buy this one? Couldn't we have just lived there?" At Sirius's scowl, he backtracked. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that."

"No, it's alright," he said. "Look, I told you about my childhood last summer. That house belonged to a very Dark family. My family. If the Order wasn't using it right now and I had finished cleaning it, I would sell the damn thing."

Harry shuddered as he thought about that. Yeah, he couldn't imagine having to ever spend time at Privet Drive if he didn't have to. "How are we getting there?"

"First, read this and memorize it," Remus said, handing over a parchment that had Albus' writing on it.

_Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix can be found at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London_

Harry considered, then looked up. "Fidelius?" he asked Sirius, who nodded.

"Now that you know where we're going, we'll Floo there. Just remember that address," Sirius told him, and nodded to Remus, who went through first.

When Harry exited the Floo, he struggled not to wrinkle his nose at the place. It was dark, dank, and dusty; he could understand very well why Sirius wanted to get a new place. He couldn't imagine growing up in this home, even if it was cleaner.

Sirius put a hand on his shoulder, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Yeah, it's a pit from hell," he agreed with a scowl. "I've been working on cleaning it out over the past few months, but it's had years to get like this, and I only come here once or twice a week if I can help it."

Harry nodded in understanding as he set down his bag. "Why did you want me to bring my wand?" he asked curiously. He would have brought it anyway, but he was still curious.

Sirius shook his head as he looked around. "This place is infested. I think I've gotten all of the Dark creatures out of here, but I'm not sure." He looked at Harry. "Don't forget: if you need me, let me know."

Harry looked into his father's eyes and saw the seriousness and concern. He nodded quickly, motioning to his bag. "I've got the mirror, don't worry about me. I think I'll just try to get some of my homework done."

Sirius snorted. He knew that Harry was way too wound to worry about his homework right then, and couldn't blame him. He just nodded at Harry before walking off to another room.

Harry sighed as he looked around, trying to figure out where the best place to sit down was. Finally deciding that the couch looked the cleanest, he sat down and pulled his bag towards him, pulling out the Charms essay that he was nearly finished with, deciding that he could finish it while he was just sitting there.

It was hard to focus as his scar continued to prickle. The pain had not fully stopped ever since that afternoon, but had lessened quite a bit. Though his thoughts kept straying, wondering what the adults were talking about in the other room, he forced himself to finish the essay.

After 45 minutes, he set it aside to dry, pleased that it was finished. Flitwick was a great teacher, but that essay had been hell to write. He sighed again, knowing that he still had his Transfiguration, CoMC, Potions, and Astronomy essays left to finish before break was over.

Knowing that there was no way he would be able to concentrate on his assignments, he pulled out his mum's potions journal, and opened it to where he had left off. He hadn't gotten very far in it, as he focused on one potion at a time, but he was fascinated. Clearly his mum was amazing at potions, and he wasn't surprised to find that most of her original ones (that she had been waiting on the war to end before patenting) were healing potions. He could clearly recall Poppy saying that she had been gifted at healing.

He couldn't focus on any one potion right then, so he flipped through it, trying to get an idea of the last potions she had worked on before her untimely death. He gasped when he saw the last entry.

_**Potion to Counter the Cruciatus**_

Harry was well aware that there was no potion that could help with the after affects of the Torture Curse, having been told that by Snape himself after the Third Task. He pulled the journal closer to him and read carefully.

_Though all healers insist that there is no way to counter the effects of the Cruciatus curse, I believe that there is still something that is simply waiting to be discovered. From the research I have conducted into the affects, I have found that the curse targets the all the nerve endings in the body, as well as the muscles. If left long enough, the patient is left with permanently damaged nerves, muscles, and damage from the lack of blood flow and oxygen, and brain damage from the same. This is not counting the psychological damage that all torture victims endure._

_The potion to counter these effects would be highly difficult to create and quite expensive as well. I have begun experimenting with the nerve regeneration potions listed below, attempting to combine them with a basic pain potion, or one of the heavier pain potions also listed below. These seem to help; however there is still the aspect of the oxygen deprivation that the victims endure, which will continue to cause damage to the body and brain._

_My experience in the Muggle world coming into play, I have wondered if liquid oxygen would help with this issue. I understand that it can be highly explosive, and its uses are mainly in that area? However, I remember my father had been put on it recently due to his failing health, so I know it has medicinal uses._

_The main problem with creating a potion of this kind would be, not only the fear of a bad reaction due to the liquid oxygen, but also finding a way to test it. I have attempted to speak with Alice about it, as she has been out of Hogwarts longer than myself and is working in St. Mungo's, but with us in hiding, there is very little chance of speaking with her at length about the proper procedure._

It was the longest introduction she had written before one of her potions, and he found his fingers tracing the page. He looked down the list of ingredients, and whistled. Yeah, he could see why his mother couldn't very well experiment easily on this potion.

"Crushed unicorn horn, phoenix feathers, powdered gryphon claw. Gees mum, could you have found any more rare or expensive ingredients?" he muttered. "Wait! Thestral blood? Werewolf fur? What do those have anything to do with a healing potion?"

* * *

Snape shot to his feet in the middle of the argument between Moody and Vance, disagreeing over what to do with the remaining dementors. There must have been a fight, as over fifty had been 'killed', several hundred had left, and nearly a hundred had stayed. His arm seared with pain, and he knew that it was time for him to leave this particular meeting, and head to another. As he got to his feet, he turned to Albus, even as he started heading towards the door.

Albus looked over at him, saw the look, and nodded once. "See me after, Severus," he said simply, and he nodded, making his way out.

Once out of the stuffy dining room where they would meet, he made his way to the front door, seeing the Potter brat, staring intently at what looked like an old book. His sharp ears caught the boy's words.

He whirled around, and sure enough, it was the potions journal that he had given Lily for Christmas in their sixth year. Anonymously, of course, since they were no longer friends, but by the slight smile she had given him on their first potions class, she knew it had been him.

"What do those have anything to do with a healing potion?" he heard the boy ask. "Maybe Hermione can help me get the liquid oxygen, or I can speak with the Muggle studies professor at school."

Snape was burning with curiosity as to what potion he was talking about, but he knew that he was running out of time. Given how often he was in the company of the headmaster, the Dark Lord let him be slightly late to meetings, but not too late.

Forcing all thoughts of his day into his Occlumency shields, he prepared himself for the wrath of his second Master.

* * *

Harry was struggling with understanding some of the things his mother was talking about in terms of preparation of the ingredients, and the making of the potion itself. He saw that she had tried four different sets of ingredients, and while they had some effect, it wasn't much.

Though he was disappointed at how little he actually understood, he wasn't surprised. He'd only been truly interested in potions for less than a year now, and she'd been highly gifted at them. Not to mention, she'd finished her NEWT in Potions with, surely, high marks. Maybe there was someone he could talk to about it? Then he shrugged. The only person he could think of was Snape, and there was no way that professor would help him with this.

Suddenly determined, he pulled out his Potions book and a blank parchment, and began working on the essay that Snape had set. He knew how often the Torture curse was used during the war, and there was no way he was going to let people suffer. He would work hard at Potions until he could figure out what his mother was talking about.

Wanting more information to add than what was simply in his text, he put everything into his bag, and started walking around the house, looking for the library. He checked several rooms before finally finding it completely covered in dust. He cast several charms that they had learned in second year Charms to get rid of most of the dust before the air was breathable.

Setting his bag down on the desk, he searched the shelves, and paled. The majority of the books were clearly dedicated to the Dark Arts, and he doubted that he would even find them in the Restricted Section. Focusing on his search, he finally found a shelf for Potions, and took a few of them down.

The essay was set for three feet on Calming Draughts. Having worked hard on them before and during Christmas break, he knew quite a bit about them, but he spent quite a lot more time researching them, wanting to learn as much as he could. He was grateful that fifth year Potions class dedicated the majority of the curriculum on healing potions. Sixth and seventh years expanded on them, but they were not the main focus.

When he set aside the essay to dry, he was amazed to realize that he had almost five feet on the topic. He had never done quite as much work before, most especially not for Snape. Though he was finished with the essay, he continued reading, knowing that anything he could learn at that point would be helpful.

So focused on his work, he was confused when he heard his name being called frantically from the mirror. He reached in and grabbed the mirror. "Sirius?"

"Where are you, pup?" Sirius demanded.

"I'm in the library," Harry said quickly, understanding.

Less than a minute later the door burst open, and Sirius and Remus came inside. "You need to stop disappearing on me like that. What are you doing in here?"

Harry apologized and motioned to the books. "I wanted to do some research for my essays." Seeing the look on Sirius's face, he shook his head quickly. "I didn't go near the others. I only looked at the ones on Potions, and only those that would help with my essay."

Sirius deflated, relieved. He knew firsthand what kinds of books his father had kept in his library. Not all of them were Dark, but most of them. "Well, the meeting's done. You want to head home now?" he asked, scowling as he looked around the house.

Harry jumped up. "Yeah, that's fine. Could I bring a few of these back with me?"

Remus stepped forward. "My I?" he asked, wanting to take a look at the books. Harry nodded, and stepped aside so that Remus could look at them. After flipping through for a moment, he looked up at his friend. "Nothing too dark, Pads. I don't see a problem with it."

Sirius nodded. "Alright, you grab your bag, I'll get these."

Harry let him take the books, and they made their way to the Floo, passing the headmaster, who looked as though he wanted to speak with him for a moment. "How are you doing?" he asked, much calmer than he'd been before.

Harry shrugged. "I'm doing better than I was earlier.

Dumbledore nodded. "I'm sorry if I was a bit short with you earlier, Harry," he apologized. "Time was short in notifying who we needed to speak with regarding your revelation. I was not trying to be insensitive."

Harry felt a crack in the wall around his heart. He knew that he had been upset with the Headmaster over many things lately. Thinking it over, though, he understood that Dumbledore, as the unofficial leader of the Light, had a lot on his shoulders other than Harry. Perhaps a truce? "I understand, Professor," Harry told him honestly. "It was not exactly the easiest of news to hear." He was tempted to ask what had happened during the meeting, but he knew better. Dumbledore would never tell him what went on, but maybe Sirius and Remus would.

Dumbledore smiled slightly at the thaw in, he had to admit, his favorite student. "I thank you for that. Now, enjoy the rest of your break, and I'll see you when school resumes."

Albus went through first, headed back to Hogwarts, and the remaining three wizards went back to the Black Abode.

It was only then that Harry realized just how late it had gotten, not that he should have been surprised. After all, he had eaten dinner over at the Covas'. Remus surprised him by handing him a vial. Harry immediately recognized Dreamless Sleep.

Remus nodded at the questioning look. "I kind of, er, bullied Snape into giving it to me for you," he said with a slight blush while Sirius snorted behind him.

When he saw Harry about to protest, Sirius placed a hand on his shoulder. "The last 24 hours have been hell, kid," he said bluntly. "Between Draco attacking Brianna, our fight last night, then your duels today, the portkey scare, the vision… you deserve a good night's rest. I give you my word we'll talk tomorrow. I just want you to sleep right now."

Harry could understand that, and he really was bone tired. He took the vial from Remus, thanked him for getting it for him, and started to head to his room. He was nearly out of the living room before he turned around. "You'll tell me what happened at the meeting tonight?" he half asked, and Sirius nodded.

"I will. You need to know, and we'll talk about it tomorrow."

Harry accepted that and went to his room. He took a very quick shower, noticed that he had a few letters on his desk from his friends, and decided that he would read them in the morning. He crawled under the covers, took the foul tasting potion that he never could get used to, and fell asleep almost immediately.

* * *

**I think that was the longest, single day that I've ever written! Super packed, and very eventful, but I hope it wasn't too unrealistic. **

**I've always thought that there wasn't really much talked about how talented Lily was at Potions, and she must have been going crazy being cooped up in the house for so long. I could definitely see her coming up with potions in her free time, when James was watching baby Harry. **

**Azkaban has finally been broken into! A new twist added, as the dementors are apparently dividing and taking sides themselves!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Whew! Back to the original length! Those were some pretty intense chapters to edit, I'm not going to lie. I'm not saying that I won't have super long chapters anymore, but I'm glad to be back to shorter chapters. It's kind of funny to look back at my first stories and realize that I used to post chapters that were less than a thousand words. My, how times can change! :-)**

* * *

The next morning Harry woke and stretched slightly. He could tell that he'd been asleep for quite a while, but had no idea how long. When he sat up, he was surprised to see that it was already after 10 in the morning. He threw the covers off and scrambled to get ready for the day.

When he got into the kitchen, he wasn't surprised to see Sirius there with a book and a cup of coffee. "Morning kiddo," he greeted, and waved his wand. A plate of food that had been under a warming charm floated to the table, followed by a cup of very strong tea. He placed a piece of paper in his book to mark his place and set it down. "You eat, I'll talk," he said firmly, and Harry nodded.

"Alright. Last night was a full meeting of the Order, there were only a few people who couldn't make it. Kingsley was to attempt to do damage control at the Ministry, but Fudge is in a full panic," Sirius told him, passing over the morning's edition of the Prophet. There was a picture of Azkaban, very few dementors, and walls that were blasted out. Underneath that photo, there were mug shots of the escapees. Harry read through the names, and realized that he didn't recognize many of them. With each name, there was the crime that they had commited in order to earn their sentence, and Harry realized with a pang that he knew most of those names.

"Somehow, Fudge is still stating that Voldemort is weakened, though it's been nearly a year since his resurrection." The disgust in his voice was clear.

"People have to be getting suspicious now, though, don't they?" Harry asked, nearly desperate.

Sirius shrugged. "I'm sure they are, but until something happens, they won't take the situation as serious as they should."

Harry could feel the frustration mounting. "What else did you talk about last night?"

Sirius scowled. "There was a lot of discussion regarding each of the escapees and where we should post people to look out for them. The Aurors that we have were discussing different options other than dementors, since we clearly can't trust them not to join Voldemort as well. I believe Albus is going to try and speak with Fudge again to convince him to admit the truth. When you return to the school, I'm going to be working with some of my contacts to try and get more people recruited into the Order, but that's fairly slow work that I've been doing since my return from Spain."

Harry's head was spinning with all the new information. He was glad to see that the Order was doing more than just holding meetings and discussing the falling state of Wizarding Britian, but it still didn't seem like enough. "What can I do?"

Sirius gave him a sad smile. "Well, you're already aware that Albus won't hear about you joining until you are of age…"

"That's over a year away!" Harry exploded. "If I'm the only one that can defeat this bastard, then I need to know everything I can."

Sirius chuckled darkly. "Once again, you've repeated what I've been telling him. First off, don't worry about not being able to sit in on the meetings. I think Albus is aware that I'm going to be telling you everything that's going on anyway. Second, you don't have to wait for a year and a half before you are of age."

Harry stared at him in incredulity. "Have you forgotten when my 17th is?" he asked, brows raised.

Sirius was confused for a moment, then realized the issue. "Harry, remember what I said when we went to Gringotts together and went into your family vault?"

Harry tried to remember, but shook his head. "You said a lot of things that day," he reminded Sirius.

"Yes, and one of them has to do with that ring you've been wearing," Sirius told him. He wanted the teen to start thinking like a wizard, and remember their cultures.

Harry looked at the ring he kept on his right hand, and then wanted to smack himself. "You said that I could be named Lord Potter on my 16th birthday, since there isn't a current Lord."

Sirius nodded. "Exactly. Since a Lord can't be considered head of the family and underage, they are automatically considered of age. I checked to see who your regent has been, and that was so muddled I was getting a headache. The title passed to me, but I was clearly indisposed," he said, eyes darkening. "Because of my incarceration, both the Houses of Potter and Black have been... suspended, for want of a better word. Neither of us have children, or even cousins with our last names; though we do have distant cousins, they've all married and lost the names. Therefore, there was no reason to have our titles given to anyone else, because neither of us had died, though Lucius Malfoy attempted to get a hold of the Black, and therefore, the Potter seats and fortunes. Albus fought him on that, and the Wizengamot agreed with him, so our seats, vaults, titles, pretty much everything were held on ice until this summer. I have already been reinstated as Lord Black, which was another reason I had been late to picking you up from your detestable relatives, and was named regent of the House of Potter during the fall term. You will be able to be instated as Lord Potter on your 16th birthday."

Harry was starting to get a headache. There were so many things that he needed to figure out, and this was yet another. "I know I should have dozens of questions about all of this, but can we wait until summer to start figuring it out?"

Sirius barked a laugh. "Of course. I'm not surprised that you want to wait, there's plenty to worry about in the meantime."

Harry nodded and continued eating. He was still struggling to come to terms with everything that had happened over the last week, which seemed as though it should have taken a month or more. "Have you heard anything about Draco?" he asked quietly.

Sirius stilled as he was about to take a drink. "Not yet. I expect I'll hear something soon; at the very least what charges they'll press against him. Though I have to warn you," he said seriously, "Lucius will likely find a way to weasel his son out of everything. Since there was no way of knowing where the portkey was intended to go, they can't prove intent of harm. Believe it or not, Veritaserum is not used in all cases, and Lucius will probably convince them not to; I'm going to guess that Draco will try and say it was the portkey to the building we were in, and just used it to throw you off."

Harry sighed as he stabbed the last of his eggs. "I know," he whispered. "I'm fully expecting to have to deal with him when I go back to school. Besides, I wouldn't be surprised if it's even easier for him now. With everything that happened at Azkaban, no one is going to care about a 16 year old throwing a fit at the end of a competition."

Sirius hated to admit it, but his son was correct. Lucius would likely convince Fudge (see: bribe) to let Draco off with a warning, or push any kind of trial back until the end of the school year, by which time his attorneys will have found a way to get Draco out of trouble. "I'm sorry, Harry."

He shrugged and took his plate to the sink. "Like I said, I'm not surprised. I'll admit, part of me is hoping that he'll try something again and fail again. That way I can bring up the lack of punishment on this time, and the clear pattern of behavior. That should get everyone's attention."

"Especially if it's the Heir of Malfoy attacking Lord Potter," Sirius agreed, then grew stern. "Just try and avoid him if you can. You were lucky yesterday, Harry. I can't imagine you escaping by the skin of your teeth like that again."

Harry nodded. "I know, it's just frustrating."

They sat in silence for a while before Sirius broke it. "So, I've been thinking about you and Brianna lately."

Harry raised a single brow. "Should I be concerned?" He smirked.

Sirius threw the paper at him. "Watch the cheek," he ordered with a smile. "As a matter of fact, I was thinking about how to make another mirror for her. I'm not sure if you would be able to use your current one that we use to talk, or if you'll need a second one. That's what I've been reading about today," he said, showing Harry the book he'd been reading that day.

"Charming Runes?" Harry read the title.

"Using a string of Runes added with Charms makes for interesting effects," Sirius said. "James was better than I at Charms, but I had him beat at Runes, which was how we made the mirrors in the first place. I wish I remembered exactly what we had done before, but I have Remus trying to dig up the old notes on it."

Harry smiled widely at him. "That's brilliant!" he exclaimed, unsure whether he was talking about the spellwork, or the fact that his father was helping him with a way to keep in touch with his… girlfriend? Blimey that sounded strange!

As he thought about her, he groaned. "She's probably worried about me, given how we left the party last night!"

Sirius smiled at him. "Why don't you Floo call them, see if you can visit for a while?" he suggested. While he would like to spend time with Harry, he knew the kid needed a break and a chance to act his age for once.

"Are you alright with me going over there? I doubt her parents want her to keep walking on her leg, depending on how it's doing."

Sirius shrugged. "Just be home in time for dinner. Remus is coming over so that we can talk about our little project, as well as everything that happened yesterday."

Harry stood quickly and went to the Floo. He tossed in the powder and stuck his head into the flames. "Covas house," he muttered.

He saw Isabella first. "Mrs. Covas?" he called quietly, and she turned.

She gasped. "Harry, are you alright? I was so worried about you and Sirius last night."

"I'm doing much better," he told her. "I was wondering if Brianna and I could see each other today."

Isabella smiled at him. "Of course. Step on through, Harry," she said, and backed away to give him room.

Harry pulled his head out, and looked at Sirius. "Six o'clock?" he checked.

"That sounds good kiddo," Sirius told him. "Mind leaving your mirror for me to look at?"

Harry quickly went to his bag and took out the mirror, handing it to him. "Thanks," he said, blushing slightly. He went back to the Floo, took another pinch of powder, and stepped through.

He smiled at Isabella and Marco, who had come into the room. "She's in her room reading right now. The healer said that her leg is better, but she needs to stay off of it as much as she can, because she overdid it a bit yesterday."

"Thank you," he said sincerely to both of them, before making his way to her room, and knocking lightly on the door.

"Come in," he heard her call curiously. He pushed open the door, and her face light up. "Harry!"

"Hey," he murmured, going and giving her a gentle hug. "It's great to see you again."

"I was so worried about you," she told him when he sat down at one of her chairs. "What happened last night? Are you alright?"

He bit his lip, wondering how much to tell her. "Sometimes I get pains in my scar when Voldemort is feeling strong emotions. Did you read the Prophet this morning?"

She gasped. "I'm sure he was feeling a lot last night! And you felt it?"

Harry nodded at her. "It's not often, but yeah."

"That's awful! Do you think he feels what you feel?"

Harry's eyes widened. He had never even thought about that! "I'm not sure," he breathed. "Obviously I have no way of finding out either way, but that's a good question." He forced a grin. "Besides, who would really want to feel the emotions of an angst-ridden teenage boy?" he asked, using Snape's latest terminology.

She giggled slightly at that and nodded. "Good point. I also wanted to ask, what exactly happened at the end of your match? I remember dad telling us about it, but he didn't go into detail."

He fought a scowl as he recalled everything, and started talking. He watched as her eyes widened in horror. "I'm not sure what is going to happen to him, but I doubt it's going to be anything. His father is rather influential at the Ministry," he finished.

She had no reservations about showing anger, and punched the bed beside her. "That slimy git! How could he want to seriously hurt you, regardless of a childhood grudge? Depending on where that portkey was programmed to go, he could have killed you!"

He smiled slightly at her defense. "At least I won, right?"

She scowled, playfully this time, though. "Thanks for reminding me! I've been in how many tournaments? And you win your first one?"

He outright laughed at that. "True, but I'm Harry Potter," he said, puffing out his chest, voice full of self importance.

She decided to ruin the moment by throwing her pillow in his face. "Don't think that does you any favors with me," she warned with a grin. "Harry Potter or not, I'll still call you out on it if you're going to act like a prat."

He barked a laugh at that. "I'm glad to hear that," he told her.

"Besides, I'm sure I could beat you if we were ever to duel," she told him, letting a tiny bit of her song out.

Harry's heart sped up a bit. "Alright, no cheating!" He pulled his shields up, though only a bit. He knew that he needed to get used to it sooner or later, and he might as well start practicing.

She giggled, still getting used to someone that she barely knew that had such self control around her. "Admit it, _Potter_," she smirked.

"Alright, alright!" he said, raising his arms in surrender. "Yes, you would likely win if we were ever to duel."

She grinned and sat back. "Don't you forget that," she said, sticking her nose in the air.

It was Harry's turn to ruin it by returning the pillow in her face. She caught it though, and giggled at him.

The moment was ruined by a knock on the door. "Time for lunch," Marco told her, bringing in a tray that had two plates and two glasses on it. "Your mother and I are eating in the kitchen, but I thought you two would be a bit more comfortable in here. Before you start though, Harry, could I have a word?"

Harry could tell that, though phrased as a request, was more of an order. He snuck a look at Brianna, who was alternating before glaring a warning at her father, and smirking at Harry's expense.

"Of course, sir," Harry said, following him out of the room and into the library, where he closed the door firmly.

"I know that we've spoken before, but your father was present at the time, and he seems a bit protective of you," Marco started.

More like overprotective, Harry thought, but didn't say anything, and nodded.

"I just wanted to warn you that if you hurt my daughter, I will make you regret it," he said, and Harry felt the hairs on his neck stick up.

He swallowed to wet his dry throat. "If I hurt her, sir, I will let you do what you want."

Marco seemed taken aback by that statement, but he nodded, and waved a hand to the door. "Just remember," he warned, and Harry hurried out of the room.

He walked back into Brianna's room, making sure to keep the door wide open (no reason to tempt fate) and sat down. He looked at Brianna, who was trying not to snort into her pumpkin juice. "You're alive," she noted with a grin.

He groaned. "Yes, but for how long is the question," he grumbled.

"Don't worry, his bark is worse than his bite," she told him. "Usually."

"You had to add on that last part, didn't you?"

"Of course."

The two enjoyed a quiet lunch, and Harry took the tray back to the kitchen to wash up. Isabella saw what he was doing, and took the tray, shooing him away, telling him that he wasn't to clean up at their house.

Harry smiled at her, and went back to Brianna. They spoke about very light topics, as they both needed a break from the drama of the past few days. Brianna would tell him stories of some of the adventures that she and her friends would have in the Muggle World, and Harry, in turn, gave her some of the stories of his friends at Hogwarts.

He found that Brianna and her friends had never played Quidditch before, as there wasn't a field far enough from Muggles that they could use. However, they had been to a professional game or two over the years. Harry told her the story of the World Cup two years earlier. She was very envious of both the fact that he went, and that he played for his house team. He told her that if she could ever visit him at Hogwarts, they would spend some time on the pitch with his friends and teammates.

A healer came to see her while they were talking, and Harry gave her plenty of room to work, not wanting to be in the way. She was given a pain potion, which they were trying to cut down to one a day, and told her that she could stop using the cane in two more days, but to stay off the leg as long as possible.

After the healer left, Harry and Brianna had a fun game of Exploding Snap, until he saw her start to nod off. He gathered the cards to put back into the box, covered her with a blanket, and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. He still couldn't believe how much he'd come to care for her so quickly. It seemed so surreal to him.

When he left the room, and shut the door tight to give her a nice rest, he made his way to the living room, and saw Isabella and Marco sitting on the couch together reading through the Daily Prophet.

"She fell asleep," he told them quietly when they looked up at him.

Isabella gave him a gentle smile. "I was about to start cooking dinner if you would like to join us," she offered.

Harry shook his head. "Thank you, but Sirius told me to be home before then."

Marco nodded. "If you would like, and if your father is home tomorrow, she can visit you at your house."

Harry smiled widely, pleased and surprised by the offer. "That would be brilliant; thank you, sir. If you Floo call in the morning, we can set up a time."

They agreed, and Harry went back home. He stepped through the fireplace, surprised to find Remus and Sirius sitting at the table which was covered with papers and books. "Hey," he said lamely, wondering what was going on, since they looked so serious.

"Hey, Harry," Remus greeted, moving some of the stacks of parchment so that Harry had a place to sit.

"Hey, kiddo," Sirius said, rubbing the bridge of his nose

"What's going on?" Harry asked, trying to get an idea why they looked so frustrated.

Remus chuckled. "Well, apparently we were smarter when we were kids, because Sirius here can't remember what he and James did to get these mirrors to work. I've tried finding their notes on it, but they had a tendency to write them in the margins of their books, and I don't know which ones they used. His Runes book, and James' Charms book were used for the Animagus transformation, and we don't even know what year of books they used for this one."

"I'm pretty sure that most of my old books are still at Headquarters. The Ministry shipped them to my mother when I was sent to Azkaban, so I don't even know if she burned them or not."

"Well, how about we go there tomorrow and check it out?" Harry asked. "Or I could go by myself…" and trailed off when he saw Sirius's face.

"No, you aren't going there by yourself for two reasons. One, it's Headquarters, and you aren't really supposed to be there unless you're an Order member, but I can take you, since it is my house, after all. Two, I don't know how many more creatures and cursed objects there are in there, and I'm not going to risk anything happening to you. So if we go, we go together."

Harry tried to hide his grin. It was clear that Sirius took safety more carefully than he did anything else, because that was the only time he saw him like this. "Have you guys heard anything more about what happened last night?" he asked, remembering the Covas' grim looks as they read through their paper before he left.

Sirius shrugged. "Not really. I know that Dumbledore was going to go to the Ministry and try to speak with Fudge again, but who knows whether or not he'll listen to anything Albus has to say."

"Kingsley was trying to convince the Minister to move the rest of the criminals in Azkaban, since we don't know why some of the dementors stayed, but he refused, saying that it was the safest place for our world to keep the criminals. I think Kingsley and Proudfoot were tasked with finding a person that can, or a way to, talk to the dementors and find out more about what happened," Remus continued, and Harry nodded at him.

They lapsed into silence for a while, and Remus eventually took his leave, citing the large amounts of homework he still needed to grade. It wouldn't do to come back from break and not have all of his work finished.

Sirius cooked a simple dinner for them, and Harry ate in silence. When they were finished, Harry got up automatically and started cleaning. Sirius watched him, knowing that Harry had something on his mind, which would account for the concentrated look on his face.

He waited until they were both seated in the living room before he broke the silence. "Want to talk about it?" he asked.

Harry started, looking up from his Astronomy homework that he had just been staring at. "What are you talking about?"

Sirius just raised a single brow. He was fairly familiar with Harry's moods, and this was starting to head into full out brooding. "Well, you spent the day with a very cute girl that you are currently dating. I thought you'd be in a better mood."

Harry shrugged as he closed his text. "Who says I'm not in a good mood?"

Sirius snorted at that. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Harry sighed. "Just thinking about how this was the first calm day I've had in a while, and it's the middle of a war. The prophecy says that I'm the one who will kill Voldemort in the end, and I've known for a few months now. I still have no idea how I'm going to finish this. Voldemort has ten times the experience I do, and I can't see how on earth…"

"Hey," Sirius interrupted gently. He'd been wondering when Harry would talk to him about this, because he knew that it had been eating away at him. "Talk me through this. What happened today that's gotten you thinking about this?"

Harry considered briefly. "Just how… normal Brianna's family is. I feel bad for bringing so much into their world. What if the Death Eaters target them, or their village, or any of her friends to get to me? What would I do if they were hurt because of me?"

Sirius moved to sit next to him. "Harry, first of all? It would not be your fault if something ever happened. We are in a war, and things happen during a war. That's not you, that's Voldemort and his followers. I talked with her parents about this the other night, and they understand the risks of you dating Brianna. She seems like a pretty smart girl, herself, and I'm sure she's thought this through as well."

Harry nodded and fiddled with his book. "I wish I had an idea of his weaknesses. He has to have them, right? If I can figure out his Achilles' heel, then I might have a chance."

Sirius had no idea what to say. He couldn't even imagine what Harry was going through, having heard and thought through the Prophecy. "That is something that I would encourage you to talk to the headmaster about. He knows more about Voldemort than anyone else. Maybe when you get back to school, you can see if you two can talk about this?"

That sounded smart, but Harry was unsure about how to feel in regards to Dumbledore. That the older man cared about him was a given, but he didn't understand his reasoning on various things. However, he knew that this went beyond personal feelings, and he was going to need all the help he could get. "I could do that. I know I need some help here. I'm in way over my head."

Sirius looked at him for a moment. "Harry, are you under the impression that you are going to be alone in this fight?" He was getting concerned, and his heart fell when Harry shrugged. "Harry James! Have you learned nothing this past year? Do you honestly think that I'm just going to send you out there to face the most feared Dark Wizard in history by yourself?" he demanded. "When this war comes to a head, you will likely have to face him, but you will have every powerful Light wizard and witch standing by your side, starting with me and Remus!"

Harry looked up at the serious eyes that were watching him, and decided that he needed to lighten the mood slightly. "Who said you're so powerful?" he teased.

"You little brat," Sirius growled, and sent a tickling spell at him.

Harry laughed as the spell hit him, and he squirmed until he fell off the couch, tears streaming down his face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he cried. "You're the most powerful wizard I know, please forgive me, dear father."

Sirius lifted the spell. "That's better," he said graciously. Then he turned serious again. "Okay, just keep in mind that you aren't in this alone, kiddo. I mean that. If you need anything, you can always call me. If I'm not able to help you right away, go to Remus. Or Dumbledore, like I said."

After that discussion, they settled down into quiet. Sirius continued working on his research, and Harry on his assignments.

* * *

The next morning, Harry ate quickly, and practiced some of the cleaning charms to make the place look better. Sirius had assured him that he wouldn't be in trouble with the Ministry for using magic at their house, which was warded quite well. In truth, he was glad to see Harry start to use magic a bit more easily. It was one of the first steps to having Harry acting more familiar with their world if his first thoughts were to use magic. Though he never bought into any of the pureblood crap that people spewed, he knew that Lord Potter would get some ribbing from others if they saw him doing things like a 'common Muggle'.

Sirius did tease him for his nerves, but he understood. It was Brianna's first time at their place, and he wanted it to be nice. He gave Harry the same instructions as Marco, that if they went into his room, that he needed to keep the door open. Harry agreed, but said that he was wanting to stay outside with her, since she'd been cooped up after her injury. Sirius knew that their wards would keep her safe, so he was fine with that.

When she arrived through the Floo, leaning on her cane, Harry led her outside, and asked if there were any potions or Healer visits that they needed to keep in mind while she was there.

"I have one pain potion for when I need it, and the Healer is going to come over to my parent's house when I go home for dinner," she assured him.

Harry already had chairs set up so that she didn't strain her leg too much. "How are you friends doing? I haven't had a chance to talk to them since the end of the tournament." Granted, it was only two days, but they had been so packed, it felt like a week.

"Lucian and Stefen are leaving on a trip tomorrow to visit family in Romania, and he's pretty excited about that. I think Thom and Ica are going to start dating pretty soon. Everyone has been waiting on it, but they spend so much time arguing, they haven't really realized how the other feels."

Harry laughed long and hard at that, explaining that Ron and Hermione were the exact same way. "We all joke that they're an old married couple with how often they bicker. I don't know if they'll work as a couple, because they really are so different, but it's clear that they like each other."

"How did you guys become friends? It seems as though you're all so different from each other," she noticed.

Harry chuckled. He told the story of Ron and him getting on during the first train ride, and how much they disliked Hermione at first. When he told her about the troll, she smacked him on the arm. "Can't you make friends the easy way?" she demanded.

Harry bit back another laugh, as Sirius had asked nearly the same thing. "No, never," he told her, and she shoved him slightly.

"Just keep yourself alive, alright?" she said. She was only half joking with that. It had only been a week since they'd met and started dating, but she was really starting to care about him. In that time though, they'd both been injured at least once, and there had been so much drama going on that it was ridiculous. She was aware that dating Harry Potter was going to come with quite a bit of drama, but since she'd never dated before, that was an experience as it was.

Harry tried to smile. He hadn't told her all of the near death experiences that he'd had over the years, and wasn't planning on it just yet, since they'd only started dating. If she reacted that way to the troll, how would she feel about the basilisk or the graveyard? "I'll do what I can," he compromised, and she nodded, seeing that it was the best she was going to get.

They relaxed outside for quite some time, only going back inside when it was time for lunch, and Sirius tried to hide his grin the entire time. He only held off on the teasing while Brianna was there because he was sure that his son could be just as devious as James and Lily had been over the years, and he wasn't going to court trouble for himself.

When Brianna caught sight of the research books that Sirius had been looking at, still unable to figure out what he'd done at 16, she grew curious. Harry and Sirius told her about the mirrors, and Sirius told her his idea for her and Harry.

Brianna was truly touched that Sirius was wanting to help them so much, and began asking questions about what he'd tried and/or thought about. "Was it a Protean Charm combined with the respective Rune, added to the other Runes that had been used, all tied together with a ward?" she asked curiously.

Sirius stared at her, dumbstruck, and Harry wasn't faring much better. His girlfriend was another Hermione? "I think that, er, that might be even better that whatever we had done," Sirius mumbled, taking out his mirror to study the Runes on the backside.

Brianna caught sight of Harry's look, and she flushed. "I really like reading about wards, and Runes are used extensively in warding. I hope to work for Gringotts once I get my NEWTs, or possibly the Ministry. I haven't decided yet, because there are so many things that I can do with warding…" she shut up when she realized that she was rambling.

"That, Miss Covas, is brilliant," Sirius said, looking up from the book that he'd been using to double check some of the Runes. "It might take a little bit of trial and error, but I really think that might work. Now I just have to figure out if I can get Harry's mirror to work for both mine and yours, and this will be over very quickly."

So concentrated on their work, they didn't realize what time it was until Brianna jumped up. "Oh Merlin, I'm late!" she cried, and started grabbing her things.

Sirius stood as well and set his work aside. He knew what he was going to do, all he had to do was the casting and carving, and they would have their mirrors ready for use. "I'll Floo your parents and let them know why you are running late," he assured her. He made his way to the fireplace to give the two lovebirds a bit of privacy.

"I'm sorry," Harry told her. "I should have set an alarm charm again, but I didn't even think about it."

"Not your fault. Well," she amended, seeing his look, "I'll say that it wasn't just your fault. Hopefully my parents don't lock me up for being late."

Harry flinched slightly at that, as it reminded him far too much of his time at the Dursleys, but he knew that she was exaggerating by the small smile on her face. "Well, I go back to school tomorrow night, so do you think I'll be able to see you before that?"

"I think I can arrange something," she teased, and they moved a bit closer together.

Harry cupped her face and pressed his lips against her. It wasn't quite as overwhelming as the first time they had kissed in the Three Broomsticks, but it was still rather amazing to him.

She leaned into the kiss and parted her lips, letting him deepen the kiss. When their need for air became more apparent, they broke apart, both breathing heavily, and smiled.

"I'll see you later?" Harry whispered, knowing that his face was beat red.

"Sounds like a plan," she told him, and turned towards the fireplace, where Sirius was waiting.

"I spoke with your mother, and she wasn't happy, but said she understands how easy it is to lose track of time when you're working on a project."

She thanked Sirius and Flooed home. Sirius walked back over to Harry and smiled. "You have a good day?"

Harry nodded with a grin. "Yeah, I did. I hadn't realized just how smart she is. Kind of intimidating, you know?"

Sirius waved him off. "She doesn't flaunt it, and I think it's good that you've found someone who you can have an intelligent conversation with. Keeps things interesting." He looked over to the table filled with his research and the two mirrors. He had gone out and bought another mirror the day before while Harry at been at the Covas house, and it was still in his room. "Do you still have homework to do before you go back?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I have a few more essays. What are we doing tomorrow? I know I have to go back to school."

"Well, tomorrow night is the full moon, so I was thinking that you and I could keep Moony company if you want to?"

Harry was excited at the idea. "That sounds great." It was something that they hadn't done before, having the three canines together.

"Well, I'll let Remus know." He gave Harry a very soft smile. "It really means a lot that you're willing to be with him during his time of the month, you know that, right?"

Harry knew that, but he never quite understood it. "I know that you've mentioned that being around other animals helps Moony. Why is Remus so touched by me wanting to be there?"

Sirius considered how to say it, and busied himself by moving around the kitchen to figure out what they were going to do for dinner. "I know that you don't have the notions that others have about werewolves, in large part because you weren't raised in the Wizarding world." He paused there to look over at Harry, who was studying him intently. "Werewolves are viewed as only slightly above a rabid beast, Harry," he said bluntly. "People like Umbridge have dedicated their lives to proving to others in our world that werewolves don't have feelings, needs, emotions, dreams, you name it." By the end of his explanation, he was snarling. Remus was a brother to him, and had been for years. The year after he'd escaped from prison, they'd had a lot of tension between them, but it had eventually been resolved, and they were even closer now than before.

Harry wasn't faring much better. "Are you bloody joking?" he demanded. "You ask any student at Hogwarts who the best professor we've ever had was, and they'll tell you it was Remus!" He started pacing and growling, unable to believe the complete ignorance of some people. "It wasn't his fault! He was bitten as a child, Muggleborns and most other 'halfbreeds' are born that way… Why are people so childish to believe that being different is a crime?"

Sirius gave him a weak shrug. "The answer to that, Harry, would likely end the war right now. There is no good answer for it, other than the fact that people fear what they don't understand, and they don't want to understand what they fear; it's a viscous. People like order and to be able to put everyone into a little tiny box. When people can't be put into those boxes, the will freak out."

Harry sat down hard on the couch. Maybe it was because of how he had grown up, but he never really understood that about people. "So, Remus isn't used to people treating him with respect, let alone love."

Sirius sat next to him. "Exactly, kiddo. After being told that you aren't worth it for your entire life, it begins to sink into your mind, poisoning your thoughts and beliefs." He knew that he didn't have to elaborate more than that. All three of them had been told that for most of their lives, so they all understood where the other was coming from, at least in a general sense.

"What's the plan for tomorrow during the day?" Harry asked, wanting to change the topic. It was hitting a bit too close to home.

Sirius considered. "Well, you have to be back before curfew, and I'm sure you're going to want to tell Ron and Hermione all about your, uh, eventful break," he said, grinning at Harry's groan. "I'm also sure you'd like to see Brianna one more time, not to mention we were going to spend a bit of time at Headquarters to clean it up and let you take a look at the library."

"How about I try and finish my assignments tonight, we have lunch with Brianna and her parents, and then Floo over to Headquarters until I have to head back to school. I'm sure there's something edible there, right?"

Sirius shrugged. "Molly does all the cooking for the Order members, so I don't know what's in the kitchen. I'm sure that Remus wouldn't mind bringing dinner for us, however. After we dine, you'll head back to Hogwarts. I think Remus can arrange something for you, a reason for you to be in his office during curfew," he said the last with a smile. "Bring the cloak, and you can join him with none being the wiser."

Harry quickly agreed. It seemed that the next day was going to be rather busy, and he realized that this was his last real chance to finish his break work before heading back. Thankfully, he'd finished everything that needed to be done for Monday, but he didn't want to put anything off and risk falling behind again.

As he worked on his essays, he found his thoughts straying to his friends. Hermione's shield was doing quite well. She was picking it up far faster than he had, and he was sure that it wasn't just his dismal attempt at Occlumency. Ron was struggling a bit, and Harry was trying to think of something else that would work for him. Maybe it was something that he could talk to Sirius about the next day while they were at Headquarters?

He couldn't help but wonder how they would react to his, as Sirius had put it, 'eventful break'. After all, so much had happened, Brianna being the first that came to mind. He hoped that they would be understanding about it. In truth, he was sure if the long distance thing would work for the two of them, but he could only hope so. It would be harder, though, if his friends weren't supportive.

Harry finished all but one of his essays when Sirius reentered the room with two cups of tea. It was their little ritual whenever he was staying there. After supper was generally quiet time for them to work on things by themselves. When it was nearing time for bed, though, they would have time to drink tea and talk about anything. They knew that, because of the full moon the next day, this was their last chance for this until summer.

"What homework do you have left?" Sirius asked, sitting across the coffee table from Harry.

"Magical Creatures," Harry told him, and fiddled with his cup.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked, concerned.

Harry looked up at him, fear barely discernable in his eyes as he hid that emotion quite well behind his shields. "Is Hagrid alright?" he asked, then continued in a rush. "It's just that he's been on that mission for nearly a year now, and I can't help but be worried about him. Did Madame Maxime ever make it back to Beauxbatons? I know he can take care of himself, but he's been gone for so long…"

Sirius set down his cup and raised a hand to stem the flow of words pouring from Harry. "In truth, I don't know why it's taking him so long to return. Albus told us that Hagrid's mission ended quite some weeks ago, but that he'd received an owl stating that he felt it would be best to wait a while before returning to the school," Sirius assured him. "I'm sorry, Harry, if I'd known how worried you were, then I would have told you when Albus told me."

Harry nodded in understanding, and felt relief. Sure, he was still quite worried about his big friend, but he felt better knowing that the headmaster had been in contact with him recently. "Any idea what would delay him like this?" Harry asked, much calmer this time.

Sirius shrugged as he took a drink. He thought quickly as he considered what to say. "How much do you know about Hagrid, Harry?"

Harry nodded, figuring what Sirius was hesitant to say. "I know that his mum was a giantess and his father was a wizard." He considered, then his eyes widened. "Do you think that he has family that he could have met while talking with the giants?"

Sirius smiled slightly at Harry's jump at logic. "That's actually what I had been thinking. I know that his mother returned to her family after Hagrid was born. There is a chance that he has family there, and that's why he wanted to stay with them for a time. Now, this is just my best guess, I truly don't know if that's the reason. Madame Maxime, however, is back at her school."

Harry perked up slightly at that. "When did you hear that?" His brows shot up when Sirius flushed slightly. "Sirius?" he asked, drawing the name out slightly.

"I might have been conversing occasionally with Caroline through owl post," Sirius mumbled slightly, his face a bit hotter than he would have liked at that point.

Harry couldn't help the sly grin on his face, though he was truly shocked by the revelation. When Sirius looked up a few moments later to see why he hadn't responded, he knew that he had a gleam in his eyes.

Sirius looked up, wondering why Harry hadn't said anything, and mentally groaned when he saw Harry's grin. He'd come to associate with Harry's cheek, and braced himself for some teasing remark.

"Just let me know if I should expect to have a step mother in the future."

Sirius's head snapped to look at Harry, as he had certainly not been expecting THAT comment. He carefully studied Harry's face, searching for anything other than the teasing comment. "I don't think that's even something that I'll consider until after the war is over," he said firmly.

Harry looked at him in confusion. He knew that Sirius was the type of person that when he set himself to anything, he went into it 110%, so he didn't understand.

Sirius nodded at Harry's look. "I remember what happened the last time I left the country for an extended period of time. I know you've already promised to tell me if something happens," he said, forestalling Harry's protests, "but I feel better being close by if something does happen. Right now, you are my main priority, and I'm going to spend all of my free time working to bring an end to this war as soon as I can to keep you safe."

Harry felt a weight lift off his shoulders, one that he hadn't even been aware of. "Thank you," he said simply, but it was enough, as Sirius nodded knowingly.

* * *

**As always, a few points on this chapter. I know that this was a bit more of a filler chapter, but I wanted to use it to accomplish a few things. First, was a chance for Harry and Brianna to relax together, so that their relationship was based on something other than drama, and help keep her from being quite as Mary Sue-ish. Now, she is smart, but wards are going to be her specialty, so it's not that she's perfect at everything, don't worry about that. **

**Second, I guess you might consider it a mistake on my part, but I really had not thought much about Hagrid's return during this, so that's another break from cannon in my story. I hope no one was getting upset at how I completely forgot about him. *sheepish grin***

**Third, as far as Draco goes, yes, he will be getting out of trouble _for now_, but Malfoy Sr does have limited influence. He and Draco will get theirs during this story, never fear. Given the influence and money that they have, it is completely logical to have Lucius throw everything into getting his idiot son out of trouble.**

**Fourth. Yes, Sirius has been speaking with Caroline, who, if anyone remembers, is the Assit Head of Beauxbatons. That is not going to be a major part of the story now. They are both adults who live in different countries and have work of their own that they need to do. Neither has the time to move for a possible relationship. Talking frequently, however, is definitely on the table. Sirius does need to have a life out of Harry and the war.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Sorry for the wait on this one. Two words: finals and work. Thought I was going to lose my mind this past week, but thankfully not! I'm back, and will hopefully be back to the update a week schedule I'd been on before. **

* * *

The next day, Harry spent the time after breakfast finishing his last essay and going over his previously completed ones. The past week had been so draining (far more than expected), and he was making sure that he was going to be prepared for his OWLs, which he would sit for in six weeks. When he was finished with the essay, and Sirius finished going over a few of the other ones, offering occasional suggestions for something he could do to improve, they went about having Sirius test him on random things, changing subjects quite often to try and trip him up.

"What year did the final goblin rebellion begin and what year did it end?"

"What is the incantation and wand movement for Cheering Charms?"

"Name the ingredients for the Strengthening Solution."

"Fairy eggs are the primary diet of what animal?"

Harry's brain felt wrung out by the time they had finished reviewing, and Sirius grinned at him, knowing exactly how he felt. As they were getting ready to leave, as Sirius had Floo called Marco earlier, and they had been invited over for lunch at the Covas', Harry had a question for Sirius.

"What did you and Remus get your NEWTs in?" He was curious, since he was currently needing to think about what subjects that he would take.

"DADA, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Astronomy, and Runes for me," Sirius told him, and chuckled as Harry goggled at him. "The first four were requirements for becoming an Auror, Runes were my specialty, and Astronomy is a Black family tradition. I might buck most of them, but that was one that I didn't mind as much."

Harry nodded, understanding. It gave Sirius a connection to his family that had nothing to do with the pureblood mania or Voldemort. "What about Remus?"

"He took DADA, Charms, Arithmancy, Transfiguration, and History."

"Ew." Harry wrinkled his nose at the idea of continuing History.

It was Sirius's turn to nod at him, though he was chuckling. "Even with James and me keeping him company after his transformations, they have always been very rough on him, and he would pass the time in the Hospital Wing by reading. He has always enjoyed history, and the NEWT class is actually much more interesting, as it's more modern history that is discussed."

"I still can't imagine Binns for another two years, though. That is one class that I am not going to miss." Then he thought about something, and bit his lip. "I know I'm technically a Black now, but I'm not that interested in Astronomy, and I'll have a full load next year…"

"Relax," Sirius told him, amused. "I don't expect that adding a second last name changes your interests, and I don't want you to take a subject that you don't like because of an old tradition like this. I happened to enjoy Astronomy, so it wasn't a chore for me." He clapped Harry on the shoulder. "Now, are you ready to head out?"

The two of them took the Floo, and Harry smiled at the three people that were waiting for them. "Mr. and Mrs. Covas, thank you for having us," he said politely, and then went to Brianna, and gave her a quick hug. "Hey," he whispered.

"Hey yourself," she smiled back, and they separated.

Sirius had stepped through and was shaking hands with the other two adults, before Isabella directed all of them to the table, where she had, once again, set up a feast. Harry wondered idly if she and Mrs. Weasley were related somehow, because they both prepared ridiculous amounts of food anytime he saw them.

"So, Harry," Marco started, "are you excited about getting back to school?"

Harry swallowed, and then cocked his head as he thought about it. "Yes and no," he said honestly."I know that I will miss spending time with the three of you. I do miss my friends though, and I need to start getting ready for my OWLs in a few weeks."

Isabella smiled. "I remember what Brianna was like before she sat hers. Nervous wreck she was."

"Mum!" Brianna cried, embarrassed.

Harry smiled at her, trying to imagine her frantically cramming the night before, just like he was sure all of his fifth year friends would be doing soon.

"What exams are you sitting?" Marco asked, spooning himself some more of the potatoes.

Harry laughed. "Pretty much all of them except for Muggle Studies and Divination. I'm currently taking Transfiguration, Charms, Magical Creatures, DADA, Potions, Runes, History, Herbology, Astronomy, and I'm receiving private tutoring for Arithmancy. I'm not sure yet if I'm quite ready to take the OWL in that, but I'll be speaking with the professor about it when I return."

"What exams are you most worried about?" Brianna asked.

"Definitely Arithmancy, because I'm not very good at it at all. I know that I'll pass everything else, it's just a matter of if I do well enough to continue the NEWT class. For example, my Potions professor only lets students into his NEWT class if they got an O on the OWL. So I'm a bit nervous for that one."

They continued to speak of classes and career ideas, with the three adults giving examples from their own lives. Far too soon, though, it was time for Harry and Sirius to head home. Before they went to the Floo, though, Sirius handed a familiar shaped package to Brianna with a smile.

Harry grinned when Sirius handed Harry a second one that had a B carved into the corner so that he could keep track of which one was for whom.

Brianna squealed when she opened hers, and Harry hurriedly raised his shields as her song escaped her slightly. She thanked Sirius several times, and asked what he ended up doing to get it working, and Sirius smiled before telling her that he would send her an owl with all the details.

While Brianna and Sirius were talking, Harry went to thank Marco and Isabella for everything. They shook his hand, and wished him luck in the rest of the term and his exams. Marco surprised him by saying that Brianna was allowed to visit him during his last two Hogsmeade visits, as long as Harry made sure that Draco didn't go near her. Harry quickly stated that he would never let that happen, nor would any of his friends as soon as they knew. Isabella thanked him for that, and asked that he owl them with the two remaining days so that they could make sure Brianna had free time to go.

After thanking them again, Sirius went to them, and Harry went to say goodbye to his girlfriend. She looked up at him with a sad smile. "It's hard to believe we only met a few days ago, isn't it?" she said with a wry smile.

Harry agreed. It felt as though it had been much longer. He wrapped her in a hug and held her tightly for a few minutes. "Call me on the mirror tomorrow, alright?" he asked.

She smiled into his shoulder. "Of course. I'd call you tonight, but I'm sure that you have quite a bit to do, what with getting back to the castle and talking to your friends again. I'm sure they want to know everything that happened while you were away."

Harry just nodded, and pulled back slightly, giving her a deep kiss. He heard a slight cough behind him, and pulled back, seeing Sirius smirk at him.

"Take care," Brianna said, and it sounded more like a warning than a farewell.

"I will, but you as well," he told her, giving her one last squeeze before he and Sirius walked to the Floo, and went back to the Black Abode.

Once they were back home, they wasted no time in changing into their slightly less nice clothes, since they were going to be cleaning.

They Flooed to Headquarters, and took a few moments to think about where they were going to start. Sirius decided that they would start upstairs in the sitting room. First, though, he gave Harry a word of warning.

"I should have mentioned this last time you were here, but I didn't even think about it with everything that had happened that night," he said softly. "There's a portrait of my dear old mum upstairs, and… let's just say that she's no nicer in her after life than she was in life. So we'll try to be as quiet as we can, and then I'll put a silencing ward on the room so that we don't risk waking her up."

Harry nodded quickly. He was still amazed at how well Sirius was handling being here. Of course, he was rarely here, so that might have something to do with it. Harry shuddered as he thought about what would happen if he was forced to spend any amount of time at Privet Drive after he became of age.

He silently followed Sirius upstairs and into the room, and watched as Sirius hurriedly cast a silencing ward. "Alright, I don't know what all has been infesting this place. If you don't know a spell to get rid of something, then just let me know. You start on that side. Make three piles of things that you find: one for anything you think might be a Dark artifact, another for trash, and a final one for anything you think is worth salvaging."

Harry nodded, and they went to work. He was grateful that he had refreshed his memory of cleaning charms, which they learned years ago, as it was coming in handy. He could hardly believe how filthy everything was.

He called for Sirius when he realized that there were Doxies in the curtains, and Sirius quickly left, coming back only a few minutes later with two spray bottles.

"Molly found some in one of the bedrooms a few months ago, and left these here in case we found more. Just start spraying, and we'll get rid of these as soon as we can."

Harry nodded at him, and they went to work. Within half an hour, they had an entire bag filled with Doxies, and the curtains were free of that infestation. Sirius took a few minutes to explain about Doxies, and the uses of their venom. Harry asked him if they could take some of the venom before vanishing the lot, and Sirius agreed. They spent only a few minutes collecting the venom and putting it into a large jar from the kitchen, before Sirius vanished the bag.

They continued on with their work, with Sirius giving occasional snippets of information regarding a few of the artifacts that they found.

When they were nearly finished with the room, Harry found a very heavy locket that was practically pulsing with magic. He tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. His scar was prickling, but not in the painful way he was used to. No, this was as though his scar recognized the magic within the locket.

"Sirius?" he called, unable to take his eyes off of the locket.

Sirius walked over, and crouched down next to Harry. "What's that?" he asked, having never seen it.

"I'm not sure," Harry responded. "Sirius, I've felt this magic before, but I can't tell you where. It's right there, but I can't remember it!"

Sirius, slightly worried at this point, gently took the locket to examine it. He waved his wand over it a few times, muttering under his breath. He then tried to open it, but had no more luck than Harry did. "Are you sure this is something you've come across before?" he asked sharply.

Harry nodded. "Like I said, I can't seem to remember where I felt it before, but I know I have. It was years ago, though."

Sirius studied his face for a moment, before his face tightened. "Well, then while you are talking with your friends before we all head to the Shack, I'll speak with Dumbledore about this," he promised, and conjured a bag to hold the locket, before he slipped it into his robes. "What else have you found?"

They went through the three piles, and ended up Vanishing the majority of what they found. The rest of it just went into a box to be stuck in the attic. Harry looked around the room, and found it to still be depressing, but not nearly as bad as it had been.

"Library?" he asked, and Sirius was torn from his thoughts.

"Yeah, that sounds alright." He gave Harry a stern look. "I know you want to look at most of those books, but you have to understand that I won't let you look at the majority of them. Not yet, at least."

Harry nodded in understanding. He wasn't going to look at some of the Dark ones. He had no intention of crossing that line, knowing that it was a fine line for some people, and he really didn't want to be tempted.

Sirius dropped the silencing ward around the room, and they quietly left the room, headed for the library. Thankfully, they made it fairly quickly and Sirius cast the ward again.

The first thing they did was to get rid of all of the dust, which caused quite a bit of sneezing for Harry until Sirius suggested that he cast the bubblehead charm, like he had done. Harry chuckled, and told him that they weren't set to learn it until the following year. Sirius nodded and quickly taught him. It took a few tries, but eventually Harry had it down, and they continued making the room a bit more breathable.

Sirius went to look through his father's old desk while Harry went through some of the shelves that Sirius told him weren't likely to be quite as bad. He mentally marked a few of the books that he was going to as Sirius about, and continued on with looking through the room.

Harry's eye caught a deep red book that simply said _Magiks Olde and New_ that caught his eye for some reason, and reached up to pull it down. When it was partway down, a section of the bookshelf moved aside, and Harry jumped back. "Sirius!"

Sirius quickly looked up from the parchments he'd been reading with a scowl on his face, reminded just of how horrible his family had been, and saw his father's secret compartment opening. Only then did he feel a far too familiar coldness seep into his bones, and he heard James' voice in his head.

"_What the hell were you thinking, Pads? You wanted to kill him?! I can't stand Snape either, but what on earth possessed you? Are you trying to become a true member of the Black family, after you swore you never would? And to think I let you stay with me this summer!"_

Sirius knew what was happening, as he'd experienced it nonstop for over a decade, and found his breathing going erratic and his pulse skyrocket. The first time his friendship with James had nearly failed. For quite some time, he thought it had, until a few weeks later when they made up. For now, though, all he could remember was the pain of nearly losing his best friend.

Harry wasn't fairing much better. As soon as the door opened, he felt the cold begin to draw on his very soul, his parent's voices screaming though his mind. He thought back to the lesson that he'd taught the DA not even a month ago. He pulled forth images of Ron, Hermione, Brianna, and Sirius. Focusing on the last person, he remembered how he'd felt when Sirius approached him on Christmas morning with the adoption papers, and he fumbled for his wand, which was in his pocket.

"Expecto Patronum," he tried to say strongly, but only a wisp of white appeared. Using his shields to hold out anything he was feeling other than love and happiness, he tried again. "Expecto Patronum!" he cried, and the familiar stag appeared, charging towards the dementor… which tripped on his robes.

"Dementors don't trip," Harry muttered to himself, remembering what had happened in the maze. A boggart! "Riddikulous!" he yelled, and the dementor melted into a puddle, like he'd seen a witch do year ago on a movie that Dudley had been watching, at it disappeared with a pop.

Harry sagged in relief as the room warmed slightly. He looked around, and saw Sirius, pale white and shaking. "Sirius," he muttered, and ran over. His father was clammy, and still not responding. "Sirius, please, look at me," he begged, getting worried.

Sirius blinked several times, adjusting to the fact that the dementor/boggart was gone now, and he looked into Harry's concerned face. He would have felt embarrassed by the situation, but he couldn't; at least, not yet. "Hey, kiddo."

"Sirius, is there chocolate in the kitchen?" Harry demanded, remembering what Remus had done for him after every dementor lesson in third year.

"I think so," he mumbled, and watched as Harry sprinted out of the room. There was nothing he hated more on this planet than those foul creatures. Throw him in a cage with a nundu and a manticore, and he was fine. Anything but dementors. Ever again.

"Here you go," Harry gasped, running back into the room with a slab of chocolate in his hands, and breaking off a piece to hand to Sirius.

Sirius accepted the chocolate, and started eating it, feeling warmth spread through his body, all the way to his fingers. He watched as Harry ate some as well. "Thanks, Har," he said quietly. "I'm sorry I fell apart like that, I …."

"Shut it," Harry told him with a faint grin. "If you think you need to explain why dementors affect you so badly, then I haven't been paying much attention. Don't worry about it," he said firmly.

Sirius forced a smile, grateful for Harry's blunt nature right then. He looked around, curious. "You know, a boggart shouldn't have affected us like that, even after changing into the dementor."

"Maybe it was some kind of hybrid you family was working on?" Harry thought aloud.

Sirius raised his brows and shrugged. "You know, I wouldn't put it past my father to do that. He had gotten in trouble with the Ministry for attempting to breed two illegal animals. Of course, he bribed his way out of it."

Harry finished off the chocolate, and stood. "You know, I think I've found a couple books that we can take back. I'd kind of like to take a look at some of them. How about we go back home and I'll finish packing everything, and then instead of having dinner here, we can have dinner in Remus' office."

Sirius again smiled at Harry. Though he knew that he should be the one looking out for Harry, it was nice to see that Harry was willing to be there for him when the time came. "You know, that sounds like a good idea. What books were you wanting to take back?"

Harry showed him the five books that he'd found, and Sirius only vetoed one of them, saying that it got a bit too Dark. He knew that he was being a bit paranoid, but he really didn't think he was ready for Harry to start delving into the Dark Arts just yet. Thankfully, Harry took the suggestion with grace, and simply grabbed the other four books, and they quickly and quietly made their way to the Floo, and then they were back home.

Harry went to pack up everything that he'd been using for the last week, and smiled slightly at the sight of the trophy that was sitting on his desk. Sirius had gotten it back from the Covas' the day before, and Harry found that, regardless of how the tournament had ended, he was proud of his accomplishment to win it. He packed most of his clothes, his books and assignments, as well as the books that he had brought from Headquarters while Sirius went to take a shower.

Sirius met him back in the living room, and smiled at him. "I already Floo called Remus and told him that we would be dinning in his office, rather than at Headquarters." In truth, Remus had already suspected as much, and had informed the house elves to have dinner for the three of them brought up. Sometimes, he really loved how his friend knew him so well.

"Sounds great," Harry said enthusiastically.

They quickly went through the Floo, and Harry grabbed his godfather in a hug.

"Hey, Paws," Remus said with a slight smile.

"Paws?" Harry asked with a raised brow, eerily similar to Sirius.

"Well, we used to call Sirius 'Pads', so I thought that I could call you Paws when we're alone," Remus said with a mischievous smile as Harry laughed at that.

"Well, alright then," Harry agreed, and they all sat down as the elves brought them dinner.

"How was the rest of your break?" he asked, pouring all of them juice.

Harry snorted. "Well, it was the longest break of my life, I can't lie about that. I spent quite a bit of time with Brianna and her parents, and then we went to Headquarters today to clean up a bit."

"How is Miss Covas doing?" Remus asked, exchanging another grin with Sirius.

Harry filled him in slightly on Brianna, and then hurriedly changed the topic. "Anything exciting happen here?" he asked, knowing that something was always happening at the school.

"Well, the twins have been causing a ruckus as usual," Remus told him, and went on to talk about the latest pranks from the school masters.

Harry often wondered whether or not the twins were aware that one of their idols was their current DADA teacher. That was something that Harry had never really thought about before that.

They enjoyed a nice, quiet meal, and Harry decided that it was time to head back to the common room. "How am I getting away with tonight?" he asked, curious.

Remus flushed slightly. "Well, I was thinking that I could come and request your help with something. Sirius will make sure that you are back to your dorm before your friends wake up in the morning, so you won't have to worry about that."

Harry nodded. He couldn't wait until OWLs were over and Ron and Hermione were a bit further into Occlumency so that he could tell them about Shadowpaw keeping Moony company. He knew that he technically wasn't lying, but he still considered it a lie of omission. Now that he was thinking about it, he remembered that he had a question for Sirius. "You know, I've been teaching Ron and Hermione Occlumency lately…"

Sirius turned to stare at him. "How, exactly? You don't have a Legilimence."

Harry shrugged. "I've been learning. I've read several books on it, and we've been learning together. They've only been doing Occlumency, but I've been working on Legilimency."

Sirius grew serious. "Harry, you have to be careful with this. I understand you wanting to help your friends, but the mind magics are not to be taken lightly."

"I know," he said quickly. "We've been studying and practicing together a few times a month. I know that eventually I will have to tell them about the prophecy, but I'm not going to do that until I know that it can be safe."

Sirius considered. "Just be careful. I'm sure you've read the dangers about Legilimency."

Harry nodded quickly. He knew them quite well, and they were what kept him from making their lessons more frequent. "I know," he repeated. "I was wondering, though, if there was another way to perform Occlumency other than the way that I've been doing, with the shields? Hermione seems to be picking that one up fairly easily, but Ron is struggling a lot. Do you think that there's another way for him to learn?"

Sirius and Remus turned to each other, both considering. "Mr. Weasley is a rather emotional person," Remus mused. "It could be more difficult for him because that method requires him to lock his emotions up, and that is so far from what he's used to that his mind can't handle it?"

Sirius nodded. "Are you thinking redirection?" he asked, and Remus nodded. "True, that does sound like a better approach for his personality." He turned to Harry. "I'll get him a book for this method, it seems like it might work much better for him."

Harry thanked the two of them. He really wanted to be more open with his friends, and the sooner they learned Occlumency, the sooner he could tell them everything.

Sirius nodded. "I'll owl it to him this week," he promised. "Now, go talk to them for a while, and I'll see you in the Shack."

Harry agreed, and quickly left the office, making his way through the familiar halls and to the Tower. He gave the password, surprised that it hadn't changed over break, and walked inside.

"Harry!" Hermione yelled, and ran up to give him a hug. "Oh my goodness, how are you? How was the tournament? I looked for it in the paper, but there wasn't anything about it, only about the breakout of Azkaban. Did you hear about that?"

Harry smiled at her questions. It was nice to know that some things never changed. "Where's Ron? I have so much to tell you guys."

Ron joined them, and Harry waved them over to a corner, and quickly put up a privacy ward. "Well?" Hermione demanded.

Ron chuckled. "You'd better tell her something before she explodes, Harry," he warned teasingly.

Harry smiled, and started telling them about the tournament. He couldn't tell them about their field trip to the Ministry to destroy the prophecy, but he'd tell them about that later. When he started talking about Brianna, they both stared at him in shock.

"Wait, you have a girlfriend?" Ron asked, gobsmacked.

Harry smiled self consciously. "Yeah, I kind of do."

"Tell me about her," Hermione asked with an eager smile. She couldn't believe that her best friend had gotten his first girlfriend. Of course it had to be someone that they didn't know!

Harry described her, and his friends congratulated him. He was relieved that they appeared to be supportive of his relationship, even though they knew that she was part siren. He told them about the tournament, and the attack on Brianna. Ron, being from a pureblood family, knew about the rope, and was furious.

"How dare he do that?" he seethed. "A spell like that is ancient and downright evil! Pureblood families would use it on all of their slaves, but it became popular for mostly sex slaves, to keep them in line and unable to do anything to escape."

Hermione gasped, and Harry's face turned grim. Sirius had explained about the rope, and he was still furious every time he thought about it. He continued on with his story, telling them about the fight that he'd had with Sirius, the following day at the tournament, winning against Draco, and the portkey that he'd thrown at him. After assuring them that he was perfectly fine, he proceeded to tell them about having the vision of the breakout of Azkaban, going to Headquarters, though he'd been unable to attend the actual meeting. Then he ended by telling them that the rest of his break had been resting and recouping with Brianna.

"Wow," the two said in unison.

"Harry, you need a normal break," Ron deadpanned, making the other two laugh.

"That's very true, though I don't think that's going to happen for a while. What's been going on here? Remus told me that the twins are up to trouble again."

Ron smiled slightly. "Yeah, the news about Azkaban made everyone pretty upset for a while, so I think that they were doing it to cheer people up. I had asked them why they were so quiet lately. I mean, even with their own exams coming up, I could see them still causing a riot."

"Fred told me that they were trying to be considerate for once, and wanted to give people a chance to study in the peace and quiet," Hermione quoted, rather skeptical. She had appreciated the quiet, though. "Neville's been pretty quiet lately," she said, looking over her shoulder at their classmate, who was nose deep in their defense book.

Harry, who understood that the people responsible for putting Neville's parents in St. Mungo's had been among those who'd escaped, understood quite well what his dorm-mate had been going through. "I'll talk to him tomorrow," Harry said quietly.

Ron and Hermione nodded silently. They wished that there had been more that they could do for their friend, but he'd been reclusive since the article came out, and refused to talk to anyone.

Hermione, in an attempt to lighten the topic, changed it. "I can't believe you won the tournament, though. That is amazing; you should be really proud of yourself."

Harry smiled, seeing the distraction for what it was. "I'm just glad that I won against Malfoy. Can you imagine how he would have held it over me if he'd beaten me?"

"That does make sense, though, why he's been in such a foul mood today," Ron observed.

Harry's head spun around to stare at his friend. "He's back in school?" he demanded, eyes hard.

"Yeah, he came back this morning," Hermione said, understanding why Harry was so upset. "I guess his father must have some serious pull at the Ministry, to get Draco out of trouble that easily. Not to mention that, with the breakout, the Ministry wouldn't care as much about what an underaged wizard did."

Harry knew that she was right, having said nearly the same thing to Sirius a few days before, but that didn't make him happy about it. "I'm going to start unpacking," he said, still upset. He really had been hoping that Draco would at least stay at the Ministry for a few days, but it seemed like he'd underestimated the amount of pull that Malfoy Sr. had at the Ministry.

He was a bit surprised at how long his recap of the past week had taken, and knew that Remus would be coming for him rather soon. Therefore, he hurriedly unpacked his bag, leaving in it his Invisibility Cloak.

Sure enough, Ron joined him just as he was putting his essays on his desk. "Harry, Lupin's here, says he needs to talk to you about something, and then Sirius is going to talk to you for a while."

Harry nodded. "Then I probably won't be back before you go to bed," he said, feeling bad that he couldn't explain what he was doing that night. "I'll have Sirius walk me back so that I don't get into trouble, but I'll see you in the morning."

"Alright, mate, sounds good. Have fun," he said, and started getting his things together to take a shower.

Harry grabbed his bag, and walked down to the common room, and smiled at Hermione. "I'll see you in the morning?"

She just nodded at him, and watched as the two of them left together.

"So, how'd they react to everything this week?" Remus asked him shrewdly.

"As well as I'd hoped," he said honestly. "They seem supportive about Brianna, and they were just as furious as I was about the stunts that Malfoy pulled. I can't believe he's already back here!"

"That's actually something I was going to talk to you about. Yes, Lucius was able to get him out of the Ministry, but he's under suspension for a while. He can only have his wand during classes for the next few weeks. If he wants to use it to practice, since he does have his OWLs coming up, then he needs to have Professor Snape, as his head of house, and one other professor in the room with him. He has a hearing at the Ministry right after he goes home for the summer."

Harry was relieved to hear that, since he had been thinking that Draco had gotten off scot-free. "I guess that makes sense," he mumbled, and Remus smiled at him.

"Don't worry. I'm sure that not even Draco is going to risk attacking you again anytime soon. All of the professors were informed about the events of the final duel, and suffice it to say that none of them were happy about it. I believe that Filius was even more furious than Minerva."

That didn't surprise Harry, given his sponsor's history with tournaments. He wouldn't be surprised if Malfoy found himself on the wrong side of a lecture by the Charms professor as soon as classes started up again.

The two of them made it to the Entrance Hall, and Remus looked around. "I'd put on the Cloak now, if I were you. Don't want anyone to question why you were on the grounds this late."

Harry quickly agreed, and threw the cloak on over his shoulders and head, and the two of them quickly made their way to the Shack.

They were a bit surprised that Sirius wasn't already there, and Harry told Remus about the locket, and that Sirius had planned on asking the headmaster about it before joining them. Remus nodded in understanding, and wished that he could have joined in on that discussion as well, as he was quite curious as to what it could have been. Instead, the two of them started talking, and Remus asked him to detail a few of the duels that he'd fought in at the tournament, and give his strategies. He smiled at the enthusiasm that Harry was giving as he detailed them, and was happily impressed.

He was just about to start talking about the duel against Malfoy, when they heard the trap door open, and Sirius walked in, clearly not in a good mood. "What happened with Albus?" Remus was the first to ask.

Sirius looked at Harry. "The headmaster said that he has ideas, but isn't ready to share them until he is certain. However, he has said that he will be talking to you about it later, and that the two of you will be meeting to talk through a few things this week."

Harry nodded at that, as he had been planning on trying to speak with the headmaster sometime that week anyway. Just as he was about to say something, though, Sirius looked at his watch. "Time to play," he said with a grin, and quickly transformed into Padfoot.

Harry followed quickly, allowing Shadowpaw to take his place. A few moments later, Remus grunted as the familiar pain filled him, and he fell to the ground.

Though Harry had seen his professor transform once before, during third year, he still hated to see the amount of pain he was in. Shadowpaw whined slightly, putting his snout between his paws, and Padfoot walked over to him. He nudged him in support, and soon enough, Moony was there as well.

Shadowpaw felt better than he had in a while. The constant loneliness that he felt was no longer there, as he had two members of his pack there with him. Feeling lighthearted, he jumped onto Padfoot, trying to wrestle him to the ground.

* * *

**Well, that was by far the longest week I've ever written in any story of mine. I'm kind of glad it's over. Now, Harry's back at school, and can focus on his OWLs. For the fans of Brianna, we will be hearing from her, don't worry :-)**


	32. Chapter 32

**Hope you all had a good Mother's Day. My hands are so sore from pruning the last few days (my mother's day gift), that I can barely type right now, but I did promise an update this weekend.**

* * *

The next morning, Shadowpaw woke to Padfoot nudging him slightly. He yawned a toothy yawn, and sat up. He saw that Remus was once again Remus, and he nodded to Sirius, and they both transformed back.

"You'd better get back up to your dorm, kiddo, breakfast is in less than an hour," Sirius told him, retrieving Harry's bag and Cloak from the other room. He gave Harry a tight hug.

Harry hugged him back. "Whenever I talk to Dumbledore, I'll let you know what's going on," he promised.

"That sounds good. Call me on the mirror if you need anything."

Harry agreed, threw the cloak over his shoulders again, and quickly made his way up to the Tower, where he collapsed onto his bed, still exhausted.

What felt like minutes later, he could feel Ron shaking him. "Harry, breakfast is already half over!"

Harry sat up, and nodded. "Give me ten minutes," he said tiredly, making his way to the bathroom.

Feeling slightly refreshed, he and Ron went to the common room where Hermione was waiting for them. She smiled indulgently at them. "It's about time! I was wondering if you would make it to breakfast," she teased as they left to portrait hole.

"Hey, it's Harry who slept in, not me!" Ron protested quickly.

"Alright, I did sleep in, but come on, it's been a long week!" Harry said.

"I do have to give that one to you," Ron agreed, still amazed at everything that he'd heard the night before.

They arrived in the Great Hall and quickly started eating. Though their first class was History, they didn't want to be late. It was crunch time for the fifth years, and everyone was starting to feel it. Harry had started to notice that even more students were taking after him and Ron, and were doing quiet study during History, rather than treating it as nap time. Hermione didn't really count, since she had always been studying during that class.

They made their way to the dungeons, and everyone pulled out their essays. Ron was worried that he didn't have enough in his, but Hermione reminded him that she had looked it over, and that it was fine.

Snape arrived a few minutes before class time, and looked them over, surprised to see that everyone was already there.

"Pass your essays forward," he ordered, and waited until they were all on his desk before continuing. "Now that we have all learned everything on Calming Draughts that we need, perhaps someone can tell me the number one greatest danger in the preparation of the Draught?"

Hermione, of course, raised her hand, followed by Malfoy, Blaise, and Harry.

"Mr. Potter, what do you believe?" Snape asked, smirking at him. He had never called Harry by his new name, and refused to on principle. Just another reminder of the two berks that made his childhood hell.

"The greatest danger in the preparation phase is to make sure that you skin the Shrivelfig completely. Any of the skin remaining would taint the potion, and would likely poison the person taking the potion," Harry answered quickly. "However, if you pierce the Shrivelfig, allowing the juices to escape prematurely, then the potion will not be as potent, because the juices are essential at that phase of brewing."

Snape lost his customary glare, and stared at the teen. While it was true that Potter had been working harder, this information was rather obscure in the text, hence the reason he was talking about it. "Mr. Potter is correct. Two points to Gryffindor," he said, looking as though he was in pain. "Mr. Zabini, tell me the biggest danger in the actual brewing of the potion."

Harry was amazed. Snape had never given him points, in the history of his time at the school! He paid attention to Blaise's answer, and nodded as he spoke. It seemed that Blaise had researched a bit as well, as he was expanding on the information that was in the book.

Snape smiled as he awarded Slytherin ten points for the answer, and ordered them to begin preparing ingredients and start brewing. They would have time to finish, as it was a double period. While they started, he would begin looking at the essays.

Harry partnered with Neville. This wasn't unusual, as they had begun partnering quite often together after Harry's first trip to St. Mungo's. Harry also wanted to get an idea of what was going on with his classmate, because he seemed even more quiet than usual.

The class went by without any mishaps, which was unusual, but no one was going to complain about it, especially Snape. "Potter, remain behind. The rest of you, bottle your potions and leave them at my desk."

Maybe he had considered Snape's mood too soon. Harry let Neville bottle the potion as he cleaned up, and then accepted the vial, and told Hermione to explain his tardiness to Babbling, who was used to Snape holding him behind in class at this point.

Harry waited until everyone had left before he approached the desk, and set his vial there. "Yes, Professor?"

Snape looked down at the parchment in front of him. "Were you somehow hoping for an increased grade because you wrote more than expected?" he demanded.

Harry shook his head. "No, sir. I merely wanted to work hard on this essay, as it's quite an important potion, and sure to come up on our OWLs."

Snape nodded, deep in thought. "Very well. Now that I am aware of how well you can research a potion, I expect all of your essays to be of this quality."

"Yes, sir," Harry responded. "If that is all?"

Snape nodded at him, and Harry turned to leave. Just as he was about to walk out the door, Snape spoke up again. "Potter, I would watch your back, if I were you."

Harry turned slowly, unsure of what to make of that comment. "Sir?"

"Mr. Malfoy is none too pleased with his current situation, and I thought you would like the warning," he snapped.

Harry suppressed a scowl with difficulty. "Then maybe he shouldn't have thrown a portkey at me in front of an Auror and several dozen witnesses," he retorted.

"Be that as it may, I would tread carefully around some of his friends. He has also been spending quite a bit of time with Mr. Smith from Hufflepuff." With that said, Snape turned and walked out of the classroom.

Harry was shocked. Part of him wondered if Snape were actually someone else, Polyjuiced. Awarding him points, giving him a warning about Malfoy, and giving him a heads up about another member of that club? He shook himself out of his thoughts, realizing that he was already late to Runes.

Harry was unable to concentrate in Runes, though he loved the class. His mind was still elsewhere during DADA. Remus noticed, though he was still beyond exhausted from his transformation the night before.

"Mr. Potter, please stay after class," he said as he dismissed the students.

Ron stared at Harry. "Twice in one day?" he demanded as he packed up. "What did you do?"

Harry shrugged. "Not sure. I'll see you at dinner?"

Ron nodded, and he and Hermione left with the rest of the class. Harry packed up his things and went up to Remus' desk.

"Are you feeling alright?" Harry asked, seeing the lines of fatigue on his face.

Remus smiled slightly at him. "I'm doing as well as can be. I never like it when there's a moon the night before classes, but there isn't anyone to cover for me. I believe you remember the fiasco of having Professor Snape substitute for me in your third year."

Harry nodded, remembering that. He couldn't forget how Snape had actually managed to make Hermione cry for the first time. It was hard to reconcile that image with the one that he had witnessed that morning.

"Is everything alright, Paws?" Remus asked, hoping that the new nickname would bring a smile.

Harry shrugged. "Professor Snape was, well, strange today. I guess I've just been thinking about it."

"Strange how?" Remus asked, leaning against his desk, giving Harry his full attention.

"Well, he awarded me points, which is something he's never done before. Then he held me after class to warn me that Malfoy isn't happy with me, and that I should watch myself around any of his friends, and then told me an unexpected person that has joined that group."

Remus considered. It certainly was unlike Severus to warn Harry, and at the same time as awarding him points? "If things are bad enough that Severus feels the need to warn you, then I would take his warning to heart," Remus finally said. "I don't see the need for you to be as paranoid as Mad Eye, though."

Harry gave a ghost of a smile at that and nodded. "I don't think that anyone needs to be that paranoid, but thank you."

Remus gathered his things. "I wouldn't worry about it, if I were you. Severus has his reasons for everything he does, though we don't often know what they are. Take his advice, and that's all you can do for now."

"Thanks, Remus," he said, feeling a bit better.

The two of them left, and Harry hurried to eat, remembering that he had Career Advice right after dinner with McGonagall. He spoke with Dean about the tournament, as he was a member of the DA, and was interested in knowing how a formal tournament is conducted. He kept any details about Brianna and Malfoy very vague, though.

As soon as he was finished, he made his way up to the office, and knocked lightly on the door. "Come in," he heard her say, and opened the door. "Mr. Potter-Black, please, take a seat," she said, gesturing to one of them in front of him.

"Thank you," he said, setting his bag down next to him, and pulling out the two brochures that he'd been looking at before break.

"Now, as you probably are aware, this is the time for you to start thinking about what you want to do when you leave Hogwarts. Have you given this any thought?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "I'm kind of torn between Auror and Healer," he said in a rush, knowing that they were two of the most demanding fields.

McGonagall, however, did not blink an eye. "I must say, I'm not surprised by either of those choices for you. I would have been shocked by Healing if you had mentioned it last year, but after all the work you have done with Madam Pomfrey, I believe that it might suit you." She pulled out the two pamphlets on the career choices. "Now, as far as classes that you would have to take, they line up rather nicely. Are you aware of the classes you would need?"

"Yes, ma'am. I need Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, DADA, and one more NEWT for both of them. For Healer, though, I know that I need Herbology."

"Exactly. Both require quite a bit of training and testing after leaving school. Several years of it, in fact. To be an Auror, you will have tests on your ability to think under high stress situations, etc. For Healing, you will be expected to do the same, and undergo strenuous tests to ensure you understand the human body, as well as understand different types of magic that you might encounter on a patient."

"Would Runes be helpful for either career?" Harry asked. He found that he truly did love Runes, but wasn't sure if he should bother taking it into the NEWT if it wasn't necessary, given how difficult the exams were.

McGonagall considered. "I could see the knowledge being helpful if you were to become and Auror," she finally decided. "They quite often find themselves in need of curse breakers, so having rudimentary knowledge, such as would be covered while in school and not trained in it for a career, would likely be quite helpful to your team." She nodded. "As far as grades go, your work in Charms, Herbology, and Runes are definite. Given how you have been under a proper DADA teacher, I do not believe that to be difficult for you to obtain, either. Professor Lupin has, in fact, mentioned that he believes you would do quite well as an Auror. Your Transfiguration grade is nearly always at an Exceeds Expectations; so if you can keep it there, I see no problem with letting you into my NEWT class. However, the problem with both career goals is Potions. Professor Snape has been marking you between an EE and an A for the past few years, so I believe that you need to put quite a bit of effort into your Potions OWL, as Snape refuses to admit anyone without an O into his NEWT classes."

Harry nodded, taking all of that in. He had a question that he was not sure how it would be received. "What was the mortality rate for Aurors during the last war?" he asked softly.

McGonagall started slightly, having not expected that question, and certainly not from this student. Then she considered. "During the last war, which you must understand lasted for over a decade, there were several points you could look at. During the start of the war, possibly the first three years, the mortality rate was low, because there were few Death Eaters, and subsequently few attacks. During the middle years, that went up to about 1 in every 12 Aurors were killed in the line of duty. During the last two years, though, that jumped to about 1 in 5 Aurors kill in the line of duty."

Harry paled at those statistics. He knew that he needed to stay alive, at the very least so that he could off Voldemort in the end. "Was that simply because of the increase in activity, as well as the increase in Death Eaters?"

"A bit of both. Not to mention the need for Aurors was so great that training suffered. Before the war, and during the first two years, training lasted for 18 months. In later years, that was squashed into 6 months, in order to have as many bodies out there patrolling as possible. I believe that, more than anything else, was the cause for the mortality rate."

Harry considered her words, nodding to himself. "Well, like I said, I'm not sure what I want to be when I grow up," he said, trying to be a bit cheeky to lighten the mood.

She smiled at him. "Well, thankfully, your classes line up rather well, as I said earlier. So for the next several weeks, I would put a lot of effort into your Transfiguration and Potions studies, so that you can obtain the OWL necessary to continue. Harry thanked her, and left the office. As he'd said, he still wasn't sure which way to go once he graduated. Truth be told, a lot of it had to do with the war. If Voldemort was defeated before he graduated, then he would likely go into Healing. However, being on the frontlines as an Auror would be smart if the war had continued. Actually, it also depended on how many of the damned Death Eaters were captured, as well. There was no telling whether or not they would be dealing with another Dark Lord (or maybe Dark Lady?) sometime in the future.

Without realizing it, Harry noticed that he had automatically made his way, not to the common room, but to the Room of Requirement. He shrugged, and figured that he might as well get some training in while he had the time. When he opened the door, however, he was surprised to see that the Room was already occupied.

"Hey Neville," Harry greeted.

Neville looked up from the book he had been reading. "Hey Harry," he said, sounding subdued. He started putting some of his things away. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you were wanting to use the Room tonight. I'll head back to the common room."

Harry stopped him. "That's alright, I was just going to do some reading," he lied, and motioned his friend back onto the armchair he'd been sitting in. "How was your break?"

Neville shrugged, looking back at his book. "Working hard, since I have OWLs coming up," he mumbled.

Harry nodded, and continued. "I heard you've been working harder than usual. Want to talk about it?" he asked softly.

"Nothing really to talk about," Neville muttered, still fidgeting with his book.

Harry sighed and sat forward. "You know that you can come talk to me about anything, don't you?"

Neville just nodded, and opened his book again, immersing himself in it. Harry shrugged and decided that he would just be there for his friend. It might take some time, but he was alright with that. He had been living with the fact that the person responsible for his parent's fate was constantly out there waiting for him. For Neville, this was a new experience, and he wasn't going to push him to talk just yet.

For the rest of the week, Harry was on edge. Any time he and Malfoy were near each other, the latter would be sending malevolent glares, promising a very painful death in the near future. Harry tried to shrug it off, but he knew that a confrontation would be coming soon.

His friends in Slytherin were more understanding than Harry could have hoped. They knew that Harry had no desire to sit at their table, and be near Malfoy, so they would come and sit with him at the Gryffindor table. Harry was relieved, not wanting to tempt Malfoy into trying to poison his food, which was something he wouldn't put past the blond.

Wednesday brought a surprise. Ron received a strange owl, which turned out to be Sirius's. He had found a book solely on the redirection method, with a very long letter for the redhead. He commended him for learning a difficult art in the name of friendship, thanking him for what he was doing, and welcoming him to owl if he had questions. Ron had been quite pleased to have such a commendation from Sirius, and resembled Hermione for the next several days, trying to read as much of the book as he could. Harry laughed with him, saying that Ron was talking more with Sirius than he himself was.

Harry and Ron were quite busy, as Angelina had started scheduling more practices, as the Quidditch final was in less than two weeks. All of the team was quite often seen practicing at the break of dawn, or right up until curfew. Evenings were spent working through the crazy amounts of homework they were being given.

It was clear that OWLs were approaching quickly, and everyone was feeling the pressure. The teachers were trying to fit as much in the classes as they could, and were requiring quite a bit of work outside the lessons.

Harry felt bad for Flitwick (as well as himself in some respects). As his sponsor was now seen as another authority on DADA, he was fielding questions on both that and Charms. He appealed to Remus, who assured his students that he was always available for help outside of lessons. Some students refused to ask him for help, as they didn't like the fact that he was a werewolf. Those students had taken Dumbledore's words to heart, and never said anything to Lupin's face, but they wouldn't be caught dead asking him for help, no matter how good he was at his subject.

Harry, himself, was quite often asked for help with DADA prep. Nearly all of his meals were spent with people asking him questions, and there were even a few times that he didn't know the answer. Though he was great with the practical portion, he was just as knowledgeable on the theory as the majority of his classmates.

Neville was still quiet, and wouldn't talk with anyone about what he was going through, though Harry reminded him occasionally that he was there if he was needed, and that alone seemed to help his friend.

Neville, though, had thrown himself into his studies, more so than any other student, which was saying a lot. His work during that week's DA meeting rivaled Hermione, so he paired those two together. Even during classes, he was jumping ahead, casting quickly and powerfully. Harry wondered just how much time his friend was spending in the Room, but knew that it wasn't his place to ask.

Nearly two weeks after returning to the castle, Harry was eating dinner with his friends at the Hufflepuff table. Dinner had just started, and they were having an impromptu Herbology study session, with Neville and Hannah answering most of the questions. It was a Friday and the night before the Quidditch final between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, hence why Harry wasn't sitting with the latter House. The Gryffindor team had spent all their free time before dinner in practice, and Angelina ordered them to rest up so that they were ready for the game the following afternoon.

Harry had just started eating, and realized that he didn't have his Herbology book on him, though he remembered having it earlier in the day. Deciding that he must have left it in the Defense room, since that was his last class, he hurriedly stood, telling them where he was headed.

"You want me to help you look?" Ernie offered, looking up from his own essay.

Harry shook his head. "No, you guys eat. I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm sure it's in there."

He left the Hall at a jog, not wanting to miss too much of dinner, since he really was quite hungry. A four hour practice would do that to you. He got to the Defense classroom, and went to his usual seat, but didn't see the book there. Huffing in frustration, he wondered where he could have left it.

"Looking for this?" a voice behind him asked.

Harry spun around to find Malfoy, holding his book, with Goyle, and Zacharias. Looked like Snape was right about the Hufflepuff joining that crew.

"Didn't your mother teach you that it was rude to take things that don't belong to you?" Harry asked lightly, looking between the three.

Zacharias just laughed. "I snuck it out of your bag when you sat down at our table. Figured you'd come looking for it, though I'm surprised you came alone."

"There any plan here, or are you just going to threaten me with your father?" Harry asked Malfoy, sounding bored, though his mind was churning, thinking back to how good of a dueler Malfoy actually was. He knew that he would have to reveal his wandless skills if he had to fight all three of them, though Draco wasn't supposed to have a wand. He couldn't see one, so he hoped that he didn't have it on him, or have someone else's. He also wondered where Crabbe was, but that wasn't something he needed to think about right then.

"Just wanted a bit of a chat," Malfoy said, a mean look on his face. "Trying to get me thrown out of school because I hurt your girlfriend… not the smartest thing to do."

Harry scoffed at him. "Throwing a portkey at me in front of an Auror and quite a few witnesses because you were mad that I'm a better dueler than you are… an even stupider move, if I say so myself."

"Your time is coming, Potter," Draco snarled. "My family is the Dark Lords most valued supporters, and the more you try to come after us, the more trouble you're going to be in when he catches up with you."

Harry snorted. "Is Moldywarts upset that I got Ickle Draky suspended?" he sneered, not liking this.

Draco's face turned a bright red in his anger, and he reached to grab Goyle's wand, when a voice from the door startled all three of them.

"Is there a problem here?" Remus demanded, eyes turning amber. The full moon wasn't for a while, but he was angry.

Malfoy scowled at the interruption, then plastered a fake smile on his face. "None at all, professor," he said. "I was just helping Potter find his book. Should be more careful where he leaves his things." With a curt nod, the three wizards left the room, leaving Harry and Remus alone in the room. Smith left the book on one of the desks before he walked out.

Harry let out a breath, and leaned against one of the desks. "Thanks, Moony," he whispered. He had been getting nervous there. Not that he would have been hurt, but he really didn't want to be fighting at all, much less in his godfather's classroom.

"What happened?" Remus asked, closing the door and waving his wand at it to erect privacy wards.

"I couldn't find my Herbology book, and I thought I left it in here after class. I was just coming to get it, since we were studying during dinner," Harry responded. "Turns out Smith is now one of Malfoy's cronies, and he swiped my book when I sat down, and they were waiting for me, expecting me to check here first."

"I can teach you a couple spells so that you don't have to worry about people trying to take things out of your bags, if you want," Remus offered, and Harry nodded eagerly.

"That sounds great. When would we usually go over them?"

"I taught the sixth years about that kind of thing at the start of the term. I think I went over these spells around Christmas break a few years ago. Come to my office tomorrow after breakfast, and bring your bag. I'll show you then."

Harry nodded, since the final wasn't until right after lunch. Then he realized something. "Your room is a ways down the hall, and it's dinner time," he thought aloud. "How did you know I was here?"

Remus shifted slightly, and smiled. "When we realized how upset Malfoy was going to be at you, and especially after you told me the warning that Snape gave you about Messrs Malfoy and Smith, Sirius and I recreated the Map."

Harry's eyes widened, shocked. "What?" was all he could say.

"Well, when we were looking for the notes on the mirrors, we found the notes on the Map. We even altered it a bit, and I added a slight alarm if you, Smith, and Malfoy are ever in the same room that isn't the Great Hall, since you're in three different houses, and never have classes with all three of you. I was running late to dinner, because I had a third year asking for help. She was leaving when I heard the Map start to chime."

Harry was amazed. He had never considered making another Map, though he still used his quite often, especially when leaving the Room after curfew. Remus chuckled at the stunned look, then looked at the time.

"You'd better get back to dinner before you friends start worrying about you. I'll see you tomorrow morning?"

Harry nodded quickly before grabbing his book and full out running back to the Great Hall. He really didn't want to risk running into Malfoy or Smith again, but he needn't have worried. They were back in the Hall, and Harry found that Neville had grabbed Harry's bag and put it next to him.

Harry thanked him for watching his stuff, and they continued studying, though Harry's head wasn't fully there. He really wanted the morning to come so that he didn't risk any of his things again. If an idiot like Smith could grab one of his books, what else could someone steal from him? Should he bring Ron and Hermione with him to learn the spell from Remus? They were his best friends, after all, and the first in line to be used for revenge against Harry. He decided that, yes, he would take them with him.

Unsurprisingly, the common room was quite tense for all of them, but especially the team. The twins were entertaining everyone with their latest pranks. Harry had already seen and approved the Aviatomobile, which was a tiny toy car that flew around (Harry laughed when he saw that they were tiny versions of their father's old Ford Angelo that was likely still roaming wild in the forest), and Nose Biting Teacups, which were a bit painful, but nothing too dangerous. The latter made everyone keep tight hold of their safe cups. Alicia was the first to be pranked with the teacups, and she spent the next half an hour chasing the twins around the common room or throwing pillows at them. She only stopped when Angelina told them to knock it off or they would be worn out for the final.

When people were starting to head up for bed, Harry motioned Ron and Hermione to talk to him in their usual corner where people were used to seeing them talk in low voices, though they always had a ward up. He quickly filled them in on what happened when he left dinner, and also Remus' offer, which he was extending to them. They both jumped at the chance, as they were worried about their belongings being messed with. Hermione wondered how Smith had managed to get Harry's book, and finally determined that he must have used a Switching Spell, as Harry found an old quill in his bag that he said wasn't his.

After everyone had gone to bed, Harry stayed in the common room, and pulled out one of his mirrors. He was still hoping to find a way to combine both of them, so that he didn't have to worry about trying to get a hold of Brianna, only to find Sirius's face smirking at him. That had happened a few nights ago, and Harry's face had been beet red until the next day. This time, though, he knew he was using the correct one.

"Sirius?" he called, making himself comfortable on the couch.

"Hey, kiddo," Sirius said, his face appearing in the mirror. "How's classes going?"

Harry filled him in on the excitement that happened during dinner, and expressed his thanks for helping Remus make a new and improved Map. Sirius wasn't happy, to say the least, that Smith and Malfoy had cornered him, but he was glad that Remus was doing a good job of keeping an eye on Harry for him.

"So, are you coming to the final tomorrow?" Harry asked, yawning.

Sirius grinned, and had a light in his eyes that Harry didn't catch. "Of course. I wouldn't miss it for anything, you know that. I'm just disappointed that this is the first time I'll have seen you play, unless you count the time I saw you while I was Padfoot, and had a canine heart attack when you fell fifty feet."

Harry chuckled at that. "Well, I'm pretty sure that we'll be safe from dementors tomorrow, so don't worry about that. The game starts at 2, don't forget."

"Wouldn't miss it, Paws. Now get some rest, or you'll fall asleep and fall fifty feet," he said, mock sternly.

Harry laughed and wished him a good night before making his way up to his bed and falling asleep almost immediately.

* * *

**I'd have liked to add the Final on this one, but it would have been too long. So, that'll be the the next update. **

**If anyone's upset that I had Remus stop the confrontation, then let me explain a bit. There is no way, in my mind, that Remus and Sirius would have taken what happened earlier lightly. They would be quite worried for Harry, and would do their best to keep him safe. Not sheltered like Dumbledore wants, but keeping an eye on him if they can. There will be more of a confrontation later.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Updating for you all from vacation and sunny beaches! I meant to have this up earlier today, but I was bushed from the driving, so I spent an absurd amount of time sleeping today. Hey, at least I did manage to update today! :-)**

* * *

The next morning, Hermione had to nag both Ron and Harry into eating more. It was common for both of them to have trouble eating when they were nervous, so she found decided that it was her job to make sure that they both ate enough not to pass out.

When she finally relented, realizing that she wasn't going to get them to eat any more, they grabbed their things, making their way to Remus' office, where he had the door propped open, and was helping a seventh year Slytherin with an essay.

"Be right with you three," he said without looking up. "Do you see why you can't use that spell to break the ward? It would just rebound and you'd end up getting hit with your own curse. So rewrite that section, but the rest of it looks fine."

"Thank you, professor," Carl Brownlow, one of only seventh year Slytherins in the DA, said as he stood and started putting his things away.

"I'll see you in class, Mr. Brownlow," Remus said with a smile as the wizard left his office. "Come on in, you three. Close the door behind you, Mr. Weasley, if you would."

Ron hurried to close the door, and they all drew their wands, putting their bags in front of them. Harry was the first to speak.

"I know you said that you'd show me how to protect my bag, and I kind of asked Ron and Hermione to come, too. I know I should have checked with you first…"

"Relax, Harry," Remus said, amused. "I knew that you would extend the offer, and it's not a problem. Now, there are three spells that I'm going to show you right now. These are very advanced, and if you'd rather I place them myself, I can do that. One is to prevent Switching Spells, the second will prevent summoning of the bag itself, and the final is to prevent summoning of anything inside the bag. Unfortunately, I cannot prevent anyone from physically taking something out of your bags, because most of those spells are either highly complex – far beyond my abilities – or they are illegal, because of what happens when people try and take something. They are either cursed, or lose a limb."

He received three quick nods, and pulled out one of his own bags that he hadn't warded yet. Then he showed the first spell, enunciating clearly and showing the proper wand movement. First he had them enunciate the spell correctly, then show the wand movement. Only when they were able to do both correctly, did he allow them to attempt the spell.

Hermione's bag glowed green for a moment, and Remus smiled at her. Ron's ripped, and he groaned. Remus fixed it, then let him try again. When it resulted in a tiny flame growing on the bag, Remus put it out, and cast the ward himself. He reassured Ron that this was a very complex NEWT level spell. Harry attempted it, and his bag flickered green, but nothing close to Hermione's. Remus had him remove the weak ward and try again. After three tries, Harry was able to get it correct.

By the end of the impromptu lesson, Hermione was the only one to get all three wards correct. Ron was able to get the last one properly, and on the second try. Harry got the first and the last, but struggled with the one to keep the bag from being summoned.

Remus again assured them that these were highly difficult spells, and not to be discouraged. "In fact, I'm quite impressed. He placed the proper wards on Ron and Harry's bags that they couldn't do, and motioned them to have a seat.

"You need some tea and sugar in you after that. You might not feel it right now, but that took quite a bit of magic. You'll be fine for the Final," he told Ron and Harry, who suddenly looked worried, "because you have strong cores, and it shouldn't affect you too much physically. I would advise not casting any spells until after supper at the earliest, though."

He ordered a strong tea for them, as well as butter cookies, which the elves brought for them. They enjoyed a relaxing morning away from the stress of exams and the Final. Yes, Remus quizzed them on various subjects, but he did it in more of a fun, informal way. When Harry finally asked about it, he laughed.

"This is what the Marauders often did to review. We knew that going about it as a chore would make us dread it even more. So we found ways to quiz each other during everyday conversation. Made for some interesting conversations."

The three laughed with him, realizing the truth in his words. After a bit longer in the office, a knock sounded on the door, and Remus vanished the empty plates and cups that were on his desk. "Come in," he called.

Anthony walked in. "Are you available, professor? I had a few questions about the essay that you set us."

Remus looked at the time, and saw that it was nearly lunch time. "Of course, have a seat. We'll go through this, and if you want to get some lunch, we can look at it some more after you eat. I'll see you three on the pitch. Good luck," he wished, and laughed when Anthony raised a brow.

"I thought professors shouldn't take sides," he said, fighting a grin.

Remus chuckled at that. "No, but since Harry's my godson, I feel that it's more of a grey area. Have a seat," he said, as the Golden Trio stood to leave.

"Thank you, professor," Harry said, and they left, leaving the door open.

"That was a lot of fun!" Hermione said, looking at her bag as though it was filled with gold.

For once, Ron didn't argue with her about doing extra work. "Actually, it was. Remus really is a great teacher."

"No kidding," Harry agreed. He knew what it was like to have Remus give extra lessons, since he'd received the Patronus lessons in third year. It was nice to see, though, that he could learn NEWT level spells faster, though he did have another two years of magical training to show for it.

The three of them decided to head to the Great Hall early, since lunch started in twenty minutes, and it would take longer to go back to the common room and then to the Great Hall after.

They had just passed the Entrance Hall, when Harry spun back around, doing a double take. He stood there, stunned for a moment, before he felt his feet propelling him forward.

"Harry!" Brianna squealed, running to him.

Harry caught her in a hug, ignoring the bark of laughter from Sirius. "Brianna, it's great to see you! When you did you plan this?" he demanded, hugging her tightly. Then he looked over her head, which was easy since the top of her head reached his shoulder, and smiled at Sirius. "Did you plan this?"

Sirius was still clutching his stomach, laughing at Harry's expression. "What, no 'Hello, Sirius'? No, 'How are you, dear father?'" When Harry just raised a single brow, he laughed again. "I asked her parents if they would mind her coming to see you play. She can stay until a little while after supper, when I have to take her home."

"Thank you," he said meaningfully. He really had missed his girlfriend over the past two weeks. More than he thought he would have. There was just something about her that lightened his spirit.

Sirius just nodded, and Harry blushed when he heard Ron clear his throat. He turned, keeping his arm around Brianna. "Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, meet Brianna Covas. Brianna, these are my friends I was telling you about."

Hermione smiled hesitantly. "It's nice to meet you, Harry's told us all about you," she said, holding out her hand.

Brianna shook it warmly. "I hope at least some of it was good," she said elbowing Harry in the ribs.

Harry dramatically gasped and bent over, clutching at his gut. Brianna shoved him playfully in the shoulder.

Ron was feeling Brianna's song quite a bit, but forced himself out of it. He didn't want to make a fool out of himself in front of her like he did Fleur, who was currently dating his brother! "Nice to meet you," he finally managed.

Brianna realized the issue, and reigned in her song as much as she could. "You as well. I can't wait to see the game. Harry tells me you're quite the Keeper."

Ron flushed quite a bit and mumbled under his breath. Harry laughed, and hugged Sirius. "I can't believe you did this for me," he whispered.

"I've got to look out for you," he teased. "Who else would do it?"

"Good point," Harry laughed as he pulled back. "I owe you one."

Sirius just smiled at him. He wasn't going to keep count with his son. In his opinion, Harry had already given him everything just by letting him be in his life. That was more than enough for him.

Harry looked at Sirius. "Remus is with a student right now, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you wanted to go see him."

Though Sirius had actually just seen his friend a few days before, when they were working on the Map, he knew that the kids needed their own time. He smiled. "I'll do that. If I don't see you before the game, pup, good luck." He gave Harry a one armed hug, before looking at Brianna. "I'll be in the stands, but it's alright if you want to sit with Hermione and some of her friends. Just let me know." He was keeping a very close eye on both Brianna and on Draco. He knew that he was taking a risk by bringing her here, but he knew that Harry would love it. He was not going to let Draco anywhere near Brianna, and he would give Hermione the same heads up.

Brianna nodded. "I'll let you know where I end up sitting," she promised quickly. She had no intention of wandering off and getting in trouble.

Sirius went in the opposite direction, and the four teens made their way into the Great Hall. "Is Lucian on his trip already?" Harry asked her.

Brianna nodded. "He left a few days ago. He already decided that he isn't taking his NEWTs before this coming fall at the earliest, so it isn't going to mess with his schedule. We're all taking the next few days for independent study, because Mme Baudin also left; she had some business with an old coworker back in France." She looked at the other two. "When are you taking your OWLs?" she asked as they sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"Four more weeks," Hermione answered quickly.

Ron laughed. "She could probably tell you the hours and minutes if you asked her."

Hermione smacked him over the head. "Just because some of us like to take our studies seriously, Ronald, doesn't mean that's a bad thing," she snapped.

Brianna hid a chuckle, but knew better than to get in the middle of an argument. She realized now how Harry must have felt meeting her friends for the first time. She leaned forward towards Hermione. "What's your favorite subject?" she asked. Harry made quite an effort to get along with her friends, so she would do the same.

Hermione beamed at her, and thought hard. "Honestly, I'm not sure," she said, biting her lip. "It's a tie between Runes, Transfiguration, and Arithmancy."

Brianna shuddered. "I'm so bad at Transfiguration. I thought for sure I had failed the OWL in it. Something about it just has never made sense to me, and it drives me nuts!"

Hermione smiled. "If you ever need help, I'd be happy to go over some things with you."

Brianna thanked her for the offer. "I understand what you mean about Runes and Arithmancy, though. I was telling Harry a few weeks ago that I just love wards. I'm hoping that I can find some career in it after I complete my NEWTs."

"My brother Bill is a cursebreaker for Gringotts," Ron put in, not wanting to be left out of the conversation. "I could introduce you to him over the summer. He always has a lot of great stories, because he worked in Egypt for years. He just moved back here last summer."

Brianna eagerly accepted the offer. "I've read quite a bit about the old Egyptian curses in some of the pyramids. Did you ever visit him there?"

Ron, quite happily, told her some of the stories of his family's trip there a few summers prior. Harry, not having much to add to the conversation, just sat back with a grin. He knew that Brianna was putting forth an effort to get along with his friends, and that meant quite a bit to him. He made a mental note to mention it to her before she left.

During their conversation, students started filing into the Hall for lunch. They received quite a few odd looks, since there was a new person sitting at the table. Granted, not everyone knew everyone else's names, but they still recognized everyone, and this girl was clearly new.

A couple of the Gryffindors sat down, and Harry introduced them to Brianna. He teased her, in a whisper, that he expected her to remember each and every person that she met. The glare she gave him just made him crack up laughing.

The twins came up to their little group with identical, mischievous grins. "Well, who do we have here?"

"Why, Gred, I do believe that this is an angel from on high…"

"For she is quite lovely."

"Much better looking than anyone you've dated before."

"What? How dare you insult Alicia like that."

"You never dated her! I took her to Hogsmeade!"

Alicia walked up behind them and smacked both of them on the arms. "Neither of you ever did. Did you even bother to introduce yourselves before trying to scare her off?"

Brianna, though, was laughing hysterically at the theatrics. Harry decided that he wasn't going to let them try to confuse her with their most common joke, and broke into the conversation. "This is George, his twin Fred," Harry said, pointing at each one just to be clear. "That, of course, is Alicia. We're all on the team together."

Brianna was about to say something, when her eyes were drawn to the doors, and she paled. Harry whipped his head up, and growled low in his throat when he saw Draco walk in, and he spotted Brianna right away. His face light up as thought it were Christmas.

Harry was about to get up and tell Malfoy exactly what he could do with that smirk of his, when he saw Snape walk in next. The Potions teacher followed Malfoy's gaze, and his face hardened. He grabbed the blond by his arm and yanked him closer, hissing quickly into his ear. Draco glared for a moment, before he lowered his gaze, nodded, and quickly walked to his table.

Snape looked over at Harry, gave him the signature look of loathing, though it, for once, didn't fully reach his eyes, then stalked forward, headed for the teacher's table.

"Wow," Harry whispered, looking at Ron, who was just as wide eyed.

"What?" Brianna asked, looked around at everyone's stunned faces. "What happened?"

Hermione leaned forward so that she could speak quietly. "That was Professor Snape. He has always hated Harry and favored Draco. I've never really seen him speak so harshly to Draco before."

Brianna gave her a surprised look. While that didn't seem very harsh to her, it must have been something for half of the Gryffindor table fall into silence. She gasped, though, as food filled all the tables.

"Whoa!"

Harry smiled as they all took their seats. "Yeah, shocked the hell out of me the first time, too."

Hermione couldn't help the smile that lit her face when she saw Harry eat quite a bit more this time. It seemed that Brianna being there took his mind off of the game. Brianna seemed to enjoy herself as she watched Harry interacting with his team, going over plays, and talking about what score they needed in order to win the cup.

"Try not to catch the Snitch unless we're up by at least fifty," Angelina warned Harry. "We're pretty far ahead, but I don't want to take any chances with this. We're so close to winning the Cup this year. We can do it, I know we can."

The team all agreed, and everyone quickly got serious. They knew that this was Angelina's only chance to win the cup as captain. Oliver won the cup his seventh year, and they were going to do their best to give the same honor to Angelina.

When they had all finished eating, and it was time to head to the changing rooms, Harry leaned forward to whisper to Hermione. "I really don't trust Malfoy, Smith, or any of their buddies. Keep a close eye on her, would you?"

Hermione was about to ask if he was questioning her ability to watch out for his girlfriend, but then she realized just how worried Harry was, and she softened slightly. "I'll make sure she's alright. We'll sit close to the teachers, and they won't let anything happen to her, and neither will I."

Harry gripped her shoulder in a silent thanks before he gave Brianna a quick kiss.

"Good luck," she said with a smile.

He gave her a grin before he hurried after the rest of his team. Brianna looked at Hermione. "Should we head out to the stands?" she asked.

Hermione just nodded, collected the rest of the Gryffindors that were going to watch, and they all walked out into the stands. Hermione found Sirius and Remus sitting on the edge of the teacher's section, closest to the Gryffindors, and she decided that they would sit there.

When they were situated, Brianna looked around, and was grateful to see that Malfoy was quite far away, and sitting close to that scary looking teacher that had spoken with him earlier. She nodded to herself, though she kept her wand close to her hand, just in case. Without turning to the witch next to her, she sighed. "You might as well go ahead, since I guess we have time."

Hermione started slightly, surprised that the other teen was apparently aware of what she was going to say. "I've been friends with Harry for almost five years now. He would jump in front of a Killing Curse for anyone that has a piece of his heart, without thinking twice. He doesn't have a selfish bone in his body, and he'll give all of himself to anyone, even if it hurts him in the long run." Her voice grew a fraction colder. "If you ever even think about hurting him, I will transfigure you into a Bludger and send you out there for their weekly practice."

Brianna couldn't help it, but the corners of her lips twitched upwards slightly. Still looking onto the empty field, she spoke. "You know, my best friend and my father both gave Harry the same warning. I'm glad to see that Harry has someone that's willing to give it to me." She finally turned to look at the other witch. "I may have known him for a fraction of the time you have, but I really do care about him. I have no intention of ever hurting him."

Hermione studied her for a moment, before nodding. "See that you don't," she said, and then her icy façade melted slightly. "So, are you ready to watch Harry almost kill himself?"

Brianna jumped. "WHAT?"

Hermione chuckled. "Almost every game, Harry manages to get himself injured in some form or another. Most of the time it isn't serious, but he has had a few close calls."

"Merde," she muttered to herself. "What have I gotten myself into?"

* * *

Harry caught up with the rest of the team as they were entering the changing rooms, and hurried to get dressed. All joking was put aside for the moment, even Fred and George were quiet. This was their last game as well. Half of the dream team would be leaving after this game, so they were all feeling a bit sad right then.

"Alright, team. You know what's at stake here, so there's no point in me blathering on about it," Angelina started her pregame pep talk. "We have been through more, as a team, than anyone would know about. This team is one of the best that I've ever played with, and I've been playing here for six years now. If there's one thing that I know, it's that we have more heart than any team at Hogwarts. So let's go out there and show the school how we can bring it!"

The team erupted into cheers, and the somber mood was broken. They were all grinning, and ready to win this.

Harry followed his team onto the pitch, and saw that the Ravenclaw team entered at the same time. The stands started screaming and cheering, and Harry gathered those feelings into himself.

Angelina and Roger shook hands, and all players mounted their brooms and kicked off, flying to the starting positions. Hooch released the balls, and the game began.

"Here we are, gentlewizards and witches, guests, ghosts, and ghouls, at the Quidditch Final!" Lee shouted. "We have the Ravenclaw team, who are coming into this final 1 for 2; they are the underdogs tonight, and they are led by Captain Roger Davies! We have them facing off with the unbeatable Lions, captained by ever lovely Angelina Johnson!" He waited for the cheering to subside. "This is the final game for both captains, so this is shaping up to one exciting game! Ravenclaw has won the toss, and Burrow passes to Chambers, who dodges a bludger, passes to Davies, who throws…! Keeper Ron Weasley is up for the challenge, though, and he saves it, passing it off to Bell!"

Harry was listening to the play by play, though he kept his eyes out for the Snitch, and also on Cho. He had taken Angelina's words to heart, and he was determined to win, not just the game, but the Cup.

"Quaffle is knocked out of Spinnet's hands, but Johnson recovers it, passing it to Bell, who SCORES! Ten-nil Gryffindor!"

Harry pumped his fist in celebration, but didn't break his movement as he was weaving along the field.

Twenty minutes passed without a goal, until Hooch blew her whistle, giving Ravenclaw a penalty shot.

"Chambers throws, and scores! Game is tied at ten!"

Harry continued his search for the Snitch, and once again cheered when he heard that Angelina had scored, putting them in the lead once again.

He groaned, though when Ravenclaw managed to tie it once again, with one of the Beaters distracting Ron long enough to get a shot in the goal. His heart plummeted further when they scored two more shots successively. Harry kept his eyes on the field, but flew over to his friend.

"Shake it off, Ronald Bilius!" Harry shouted to his friend, eyes flickering over for a split second.

Ron, who had been having a mild panic attack, hardened his resolve, and nodded once, watching as Harry took back off to continue his search. He took a few deep breaths, and pretended that this was just a simple pick-up game.

Sure enough, he blocked the next few shots, until Gryffindor was able to go back on the offensive.

"Bell to Spinnet, to Johnson, back to Spinnet, and she scores! 40-30 Ravenclaw."

Harry heard the crowd then gasp, and he turned quickly, seeing Cho dive, and he pointed his broom to follow, but he didn't see the familiar golden glint anywhere. When he caught up to her, she flicked her eyes towards him, and he knew that he'd been had. Quickly turning his broom back up, he moved further away.

"That was a nice feint by Seeker Chang, and Potter nearly fell for it. Not sure what drew him off, but he figured it out. Weasley knocks the Quaffle out of Burrow's hands, recovered by Johnson, passes to Bell, who SCORES! Tied game!"

A few more minutes passed with neither side gaining an advantage over the other, until he saw Angelina try to intercept a pass from Chambers to Davies. The Quaffle slipped through her fingers, and slammed into her face. Blood spurted everywhere, and she frantically called for a time out.

Hooch blew the whistle, and both teams hit the deck. Harry flew until he was right next to her before he jumped off and grabbed his wand. "Move your hands," he ordered, worried. He cast a diagnostic spell, which told him that it was just a simple break. "Hold still. Episky!"

She grunted as her nose fixed itself, and then Harry cleared up the bruising, and siphoned off the blood. "You good?" he asked her.

"Perfect. Come on, team, let's do this!" she said, mounting her broom again.

"Did Oliver die, and she's channeling his spirit?" Harry muttered to Fred and George, who snorted in amusement, before both teams continued to play.

After the time out, it seemed as though the Gryffindor team was on fire. The girls' passing was crisp, the twins' accuracy was perfect, and Ron didn't let in another goal. Unfortunately for Harry, the Snitch had yet to make an appearance.

"Bell flies toward the goal, she seems to be a bit high, though, she's out of the scoring area… wait! She drops the Quaffle 4 meters below her, right into Johnson's hands, and Johnson SCORES! 90-40 Gryffindor! Johnson, I'm so going to kiss you later…"

"JORDAN!" McGonagall hollered next to him.

"Right you are, professor!" Lee said cheerfully, still ecstatic. "That was a flawlessly executed Porskoff Ploy, beautifully done! Well done, girls!"

While the crowd was cheering, Harry finally saw the Snitch close to the ground a ways in front of him. As he took off, he noticed that Cho hadn't seen it yet, and he worked to contain his excitement, as it wasn't guaranteed that… WHAM.

Davies had gone to block Harry, but had underestimated how fast he was going, and Harry clung to his broom for dear life, and Roger screamed as his shoulder popped out of the socket.

When Harry finally righted himself, he felt a burning on his ribs, and he was sure that he had bruised at least one of them, and looked up as Hooch awarded Gryffindor a penalty shot. Chambers helped Davies set his shoulder while Katie took the shot, and made it past their keeper. 100-40.

The game resumed, and the crowd was on their feet.

Harry considered healing his ribs quickly, but then realized how magically tired he was. It looked as though Remus had been right to warn him not to use magic until supper, and the spells he'd used for Angelina had done it for right then. He couldn't afford to heal his ribs only to pass out in midair.

"Davies towards the Gryffindor posts, he throw… no, he feints, and scores! 100-50 with Gryffindor still in the lead."

After nearly another hour of play, the score was 170-100, with Gryffindor still in the lead, when Harry spotted the Snitch near the Ravenclaw goal posts. He turned sharply and shot down the field. When he was halfway there, Cho realized what was happening, and moved as quickly as her broom could. They were nearly there when everyone else realized what was happening.

"Chang is chasing Potter down the lane, he's forced to slow to avoid hitting Burrow, he's back on track. Chang is right behind him. Beater Inglebee hits a bludger at Potter, perfect Sloth Grip Roll, Chang has to veer off to avoid it, and POTTER CATCHES THE SNITCH!"

Harry was still upside down on his broom, his fingers clasping the tiny golden ball, the wings fluttering against his fist, and he screamed in triumph. Angelina was the first to catch up to him, and she helped right him on the broom before she grabbed him in the tightest hug of his life.

Harry felt the other two chasers hit them, followed by the twins, and finally Ron. They were all screaming and crying themselves hoarse as they slowly floated back to the ground.

Hooch and McGonagall met them on the field. Hooch passed them the Cup to Angelina, who raised it high above her head to the cheers as seemingly the entire Gryffindor house piled onto the field to join their classmates in victory.

Colin arrived with his camera, and Angelina had Harry hold half of the trophy, and the two raised it into the air. It would be a timeless photo: the captain and seeker holding the Cup, the rest of the team in delirious happiness, McGonagall crying, and Jordan, still holding the megaphone and shouting that Gryffindor won.

Harry looked through the crowd, and saw Hermione and Brianna forcing their way through the crowd to get to them. Harry pulled Hermione into a quick hug before turning to Brianna, whose face was alight with happiness.

Brianna squeaked in surprise as Harry grabbed her, and kissed her hard. She threw her arms around his neck, holding him as tightly as she could to relish the moment.

After what could have been another hour, they pulled back, gasping for air. Brianna just beamed at him in pride, and joined the crowd chanting "Gryffindor!"

Harry felt a hand on his shoulders, and turned to see Sirius and Remus grinning at him. He was pulled into a hug by both of them.

"Party in the common room!" Fred and George yelled together, and the crowd cheered.

Harry turned to Sirius and Remus, who just continued grinning at him. "Go have fun, Paws," Sirius murmured in his ear. "I'll come to the common room when I have to take her home."

Harry didn't say a word, but his eyes said everything. He slung one arm around Brianna and the other around Angelina. "Let's go!"

The twins had already arranged everything with the house elves, and had more food than the Welcoming Feast, at least it seemed like it. None of the Gryffindors bothered leaving for the Great Hall to go to dinner that night. Everyone just stayed in the common room, eating, drinking, and celebrating.

For everyone there, it was a wonderful evening. Though the room was packed, no one was wanting to leave. The team was treated wonderfully by the rest of the house, as they were all thrilled to have won the cup again.

Harry was enjoying his time as he sat between Brianna and Katie while listening to the twins. When Sirius came to take Brianna home, he couldn't help the feeling of disappointment flow through him when he said goodbye to her.

Brianna hugged him tightly. "You'll take care, right?" she double checked with a grin.

Harry laughed. "I'll be seeing you again in two weeks, assuming your parents still let you come over for our Hogsmeade visit, but I will certainly try to stay in one piece until then."

"Brat," she grumbled, but leaned in for a kiss. She blushed at the catcalling from a few members of the house when she pulled back. "I'll see you later."

Harry thanked Sirius again for bringing her to the game when he gave him a quick hug. He felt so incredibly lighthearted from the events of the day that he couldn't stop smiling, though his cheeks were starting to ache from all of it.

* * *

**I'll admit, I spent a lot more time writing this match than my others, and I think that it shows. I like it, at least. **

**Not sure if I'll be able to update again while on vacation, but we'll see. Until then, I hope you all enjoy this one.  
**


	34. Chapter 34

**Back from vacation! Glad to be home, but I already miss it. Unfortunately, I didn't get much written on this while I was gone, so I'm going to have to do a lot more now that I'm back. The plot does pick up a bit more during this one, at least :-)**

* * *

The euphoria of winning the cup, for the second time for most of the team and the first time for Ron, lasted nearly a week. Sure, they still had a lot of studying and homework to do, but there was less grumbling about it than usual. Harry had made sure to continue sitting with the Ravenclaws for a few meals to show them that there were no hard feelings. None of them said anything about the game, but he got the impression that they were pleased that he wasn't lording it over them.

On the Thursday after the final, Harry received an owl at lunch while he was between classes. He opened it curiously, and recognized the familiar flowing script.

_Harry,_

_If it is convenient for you, please meet me in my office this evening after supper. There are a few things that we need to speak about. Please let me know if this time works for you, and if you would like your father to be present as well._

_Headmaster Dumbledore_

_P.S. The password is a Muggle candy that is another name for an inappropriate laugh_

Harry stared at the short letter, confused. He had been meaning to send one of his own to the headmaster, but he'd been so frazzled with OWLs and Quidditch lately, not to mention the DA. He looked up at the head table, but Dumbledore was busy having a conversation with Remus, so he shrugged, and turned to Hermione and Ron, showing them the letter. He looked at them.

"What does the P.S. mean? I never really ate a lot of candy growing up."

"It's more of an American candy," Hermione told him with a smile. "Snickers bars."

Harry shrugged. He wouldn't have been able to guess it. Good thing he had Hermione, as always.

"So, are you going to have Sirius there with you?" Ron asked, rereading it.

Harry nodded. "It's not that I don't trust the headmaster," he said truthfully. He had given it a lot of thought over the past month, and he really did trust the headmaster now that he was a bit more removed from any situations that had shaken him. "Sirius would likely be able to understand more of what the headmaster was talking about, and it would save me from having to repeat it to him later. Can I borrow your quill?" he asked Hermione, as she already had hers out.

She nodded and handed it over, watching as Harry penned a quick response, and handed it to the owl. "Deliver it after the meal, alright?" he asked, also giving her a piece of bacon.

The owl just nudged his fingers slightly before flying up and out of the hall.

By the time dinner came around, Harry was nursing a headache. He had spent most of the day working on his Arithmancy homework that Vector had set him. They had decided on Tuesday that there was no way that Harry would be ready to take the OWL in just a few short weeks. After all, even though he was taking private lessons with the professor, they had started the term going over third year material, and they were only now starting the fifth year. They had talked about continuing their lessons the following year, and Harry would take his OWL in it with the current fourth year class when they did. Harry wasn't overly pleased with that, but he did understand that he wasn't very strong in it, and he didn't want to take the OWL out of pride and then fail it. He could wait another year.

When he arrived at the gargoyle, he gave the strange password with a slight roll of his eyes, and went up the staircase. He was surprised to find Sirius already waiting for him, and he and Dumbledore were talking over tea.

"Headmaster, Sirius," he greeted, putting his bag down and taking the chair offered.

"Hey, kiddo," Sirius said, and the headmaster greeted him as well.

"Would you care for some tea, Harry?" Dumbledore asked. "It's chamomile, so it might help the headache."

Harry didn't bother asking how he knew about his headache, and accepted the cup. There was silence for a few minutes while they all collected their thoughts.

"Harry," Dumbledore started, "Sirius came to me some days ago with a curious artifact that the two of you found at his family home in London."

Harry nodded, remembering. "Yeah, the locket that I found. I know I've felt that magic before, but for some reason, I just can't place it."

Dumbledore nodded, and reached into his desk to pull out a dark object. Harry started when he recognized Riddle's diary that he'd destroyed in second year. "Could you have felt the magic in this?" he asked.

Harry jumped. "Exactly! That's what I recognized it from. I knew that it was somewhere, but I just couldn't remember." Then the implications of such magic began to sink in. "Wait, does this mean that the locket can possess someone, like it did Ginny?"

Dumbledore stroked his beard as he thought. "I do not believe so. Miss Weasley was possessed because she trusted the diary, which was communicating with her. This locket, however much it has the same magic, will not possess anyone wearing it."

Harry calmed slightly, but only slightly. "So, what kind of magic is it?" he asked. "It has to be Dark Magic, doesn't it? I mean, regardless of the fact that it was Riddle who created them, the magic just feels… evil."

Dumbledore nodded. "You are correct in your belief that the magic is the Dark Arts." He turned to glance at Sirius, then turned back to Harry. "I have good reason to believe that that the two of these are Horcruxes."

The term meant nothing to Harry, but Sirius leapt out of his seat. "Are you serious?" he demanded, face white. "Soul magics have been outlawed for centuries. Where could he have found the necessary books to aid him? He was a Muggleborn, who spent all the time until his majority either at Hogwarts or at the orphanage."

Harry was beginning to pale as well. "What are Horcruxes?" he asked, whipping his head to look from one adult to the other.

Sirius was still wide eyed at the revelation, and started to pace. "A Horcrux, Harry, is an object in which someone is able to place a part of their soul."

Harry blanched. "So, that's how he was able to possess Ginny. Part of his soul was in the diary, and then I destroyed it."

"Indeed," Dumbledore said. "I have two theories on how he was able to learn the proper, shall we say, procedure. One, would be that there was in fact a book detailing it in the Restricted Section. Removing it was one of the first things I did when I became headmaster."

Sirius cursed under his breath at that, knowing it was the most likely. "The other?"

"The second theory is a bit less likely, because it involves trust. Whilst at school, Tom became acquaintances of Avery, Nott, and Malfoy, Lucius' father."

"Don't forget Orion Black," Sirius said darkly.

Harry turned sharply to him. "What?"

Sirius sighed as he sat back down. "My father started Hogwarts a few years before Voldemort. He was always very proud of that fact."

Harry shuddered slightly. He couldn't imagine going to school with a young Voldemort. "So, what does that have to do with the Horcruxes?"

"All of those families have been known for their Dark activities for generations," Sirius told him. Then he looked at Dumbledore. "I take it you think that they could have given him the books necessary?"

"That was a thought. Though I believe it to be the first. After all, he was able to create his first one at 16."

Harry was deep in thought, and he stopped following the conversation between the older wizards. He couldn't help but think back to the graveyard when he stated that he had gone through more to gain immortality than anyone in history. Looking at the two Horcruxes on the desk, Harry now understood better what he'd meant. "How many?" he croaked, keeping his eyes fixed on the locket.

The conversation came to an abrupt halt with that question, and they both turned to him. "What do you mean?" Sirius asked.

"How many of these foul things did he make? Voldemort himself said that he had done more to gain immortality than anyone before. There's no way he would have stopped at only two, right?"

"Merlin," Sirius breathed. Then he turned to Dumbledore. "What do you think?"

Dumbledore averted his eyes, which Sirius immediately picked up on. "If you know something, I think we deserve to know it." Sirius was quite firm on this.

"Seven. I have reason to believe he made seven," Dumbledore told them.

Harry's face paled in horror. "So, he can't be killed until all of these have been destroyed?" he demanded, close to panicking. "How do you even destroy one?"

Sirius gripped his shoulder tightly to give him an anchor. "All I know about destroying them is that there are very few ways. You have to destroy it in a way that cannot be fixed."

Harry took a few calming breaths and looked at the headmaster, who nodded. "Actually, Harry, you have shown a way for us to destroy them. You discovered it when you were twelve."

Harry looked at the diary. "With a basilisk fang?" he asked incredulously.

"The poison has only one antidote…"

"Phoenix tears," Harry said, immediately turning to look at Fawkes, and remembering how that bird had saved his life. "How do we find the other Horcruxes?" he asked, though he was starting to feel numb from all of the revelations.

Sirius again looked to Dumbledore. "I will figure that out with the headmaster," he said firmly. "We'll worry about you joining us when you are finished with the term."

As much as Harry wanted to accept that, he couldn't. "I need to know what's going on…"

"And you will," Sirius retorted. "I will keep you informed on what's going on with the all of this. I just want you to focus on your OWLs. Once that's done, we can talk about you helping us with finding them."

Harry just nodded, and looked at the locket that was still laying on the desk. "Is that one destroyed?" he asked, seeing that it looked the same as the last time he'd seen it.

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not, my boy. I have tried, but I believe it needs to be opened before it can be destroyed, and I have yet to figure out how to open it."

Harry reached his hand out. "May I see it?"

Dumbledore passed it over, and looked over his glasses as Harry examined it again. "Do you see something?"

Harry paled again when he saw the snake, wondering how he had missed it before. "It's Parseltongue."

Sirius looked at him. "You mean like the Chamber?"

Harry nodded. "It has to be commanded to open by a Parselmouth. And there's only one, other than Voldemort," he reminded them, paling further.

Sirius felt his heart sink. If that was true, and he was sure that it was, that meant that Harry needed to be the one to destroy this particular Horcrux. "Harry," he started.

"Should I go and get a fang?" he asked, resigned.

"That won't be necessary," Dumbledore said, his twinkle gone. "When you stabbed the basilisk, the sword of Gryffindor, as with all goblin made weapons, imbibed its venom. The sword has not appeared to anyone else, so I believe this is your Horcrux to destroy." He stood and went to the case that contained the sword, taking it out with care.

Sirius had to swallow back bile as he saw that there was still a few flecks of blood on the weapon, and he thought back to when Harry told him the tale of his fight in the Chamber. He was about to have another heart attack, he was sure._ Damn it, James, you son is going to be the death of me_.

Dumbledore waved his wand, creating a space in the room, and conjured a block of granite on which to place the locket. He handed the sword to Harry.

"Wait," Harry paused when he gripped the weapon. He looked at Sirius. "Could we ask… I mean, do you think he'd mind…"

Sirius walked up to Harry, and saw the thinly veiled panic swirling in his eyes. He gripped Harry's face between his hands. "What do you need?" If it was within his power, he would do anything for his son right then.

Harry took another breath to calm down. "Could Remus be here for this?" he asked in a quiet voice. "I think I'll need all the support I can get at this point."

Sirius almost laughed. It was a perfectly reasonable thing to want, and he nodded. "Give me five minutes to explain the situation, and we'll be right here," he promised, and looked at Dumbledore, who nodded towards his Floo.

"It'll be faster," he said. Now that he was closer to destroying a part of Tom's soul, he wanted this over with, and he was sure that Harry did as well.

The wait was almost unbearable for Harry. His palms were sweating, making the grip slick. He transferred the sword from one hand to the other, wiping the sweat off on his robes. His heart was pounding out of his chest as he looked at the seemingly innocent looking locket on the granite slab. He occupied his mind by thinking about how powerful Dumbledore really was. He knew that conjuring was one of the most difficult parts of Transfiguration, and to conjure something of the size, weight, and mass of a granite slab would take a lot of power. Of course, Dumbledore had been a Transfiguration teacher in his time, so it wasn't surprising.

Finally, the Floo flared, and Sirius was the first out, followed swiftly by Remus. The werewolf was pale, much like the rest of them, and he was silent. No one was willing to break the silence that covered the room.

Harry swallowed as he nodded to the three wizards who were standing silently fairly far away to give him room. He raised the sword high above him, and drew a shaky breath. _"Open_," he hissed in Parseltongue.

An explosion threw them all back as a black miasma rose from the now open locket, and the dreadfully familiar voice filled the air

_I have seen your dreams, Harry Potter; and I have seen your fears. Killer of those you love; everyone around would be better if you were gone. You are a weapon of this war, and will be tossed aside once it is over._

Sirius yelled at Harry to ignore the lies, but his terrified gaze was still focused on the figures. The cloud formed into the ghost of Cedric.

_You told me to take the cup, you as good as killed me yourself. You are the Boy Who Lived, why did you not save me, too? How could you be so selfish?_

Cedric then morphed into James and Lily. Sirius and Remus, who had been yelling at Harry to focus, were struck dumb at the sight.

_We would never have been targeted if you hadn't been born. We were your first victims._

_How true, Lily-flower. Perhaps your sister had it right, and he should have been thrown into an orphanage as soon as he was born. Weak. That's all he is._

Lily and James morphed into Hermione and Ron, and Harry had to work hard to hold back the tears.

_Are we going to die next for you, or will it be Sirius? Remus?_

_If you shared your secrets, you know we would leave you. You know that we should, or we're going to be hurt next._

At that last, Harry's face hardened. He gripped the sword with both hands, and with a roar of anguish, he brought the edge of the sword onto the locket, smashing it in two.

Harry was breathing hard, and the sword fell from his numb fingers. The clatter of metal on stone seemed obscenely loud in the stillness. No one moved a muscle, until Harry's knees buckled.

Sirius was the first to grab hold of him, followed swiftly by Remus. The two were shaking nearly as much as Harry was, but that didn't matter. The two managed to carry the teen over to the couch, where there was only enough room for two of them. Remus, though it was nearly painful, let go of Harry, and let Sirius handle it.

Sirius, though, had no idea what to do. He felt like the worst father in the world. How could he not have seen the ghosts that were haunting Harry? He should have realized the pain that he was in, and done something to stop it.

There were no words for that moment, and Sirius knew better than to try and fill the silence with hollow words, so he just held Harry as tightly as he could, refusing to let go.

After about ten minutes, Harry blinked a few times, coming back to himself. "I'm sorry about that," he whispered.

"For having fears?" Sirius asked with a scoff. "You think there is a single person in this room, this school, that doesn't have them?" He spun Harry around so that he could look him in the eyes. "Everything that the Horcrux said was a lie, and you are not to believe any of it."

Harry just shrugged, unsure of what to say right then. It was one thing to think and fear some things, and quite another to have three others hear them.

"No, you will understand this, Harry James," Sirius stated. "You did not kill James, Lily or Cedric. Voldemort was responsible for all three of those deaths."

"Not to mention that if James were ever to agree with Petunia on a single thing, particularly anything regarding you, then Lily would have neutered him with a rusty spoon," Remus said flatly. While he had always dreamed of seeing James and Lily again, he had never wanted it to be like that, or to hear their voices sound so cold and twisted.

Sirius snorted. "That's the least that she would do," he told Remus. Then he turned back to Harry. "After this war is over, I will be there to see you become an Auror, or a Healer, or a professor, or whatever you decide. I'll be there at your wedding, and when your first kid is born, because I have a feeling you'll be freaking out just as much as James was when you were born. When you have a midlife crisis, when you have grandkids, when you're old and grey, I'm going to be there. Your story doesn't end when this war does, I promise you that," Sirius said fervently, tears sparkling in his eyes. "There is no way that any of us will forget you once Voldemort is gone. You have been part of my life from the moment you were born, long before any of this Boy Who Lived and prophecy nonsense entered the equation. That doesn't change anything."

Harry felt a burning both behind his eyes and in his throat. Whenever he thought that Sirius couldn't come up with anything else to surprise him, he get's proven wrong. Not able to find a response to that, he grabbed Sirius in a rough hug, and held him for all he was worth.

Remus was having a tough time holding his emotions back, and decided that he needed to busy his hands. He picked up the sword, and handed it Dumbledore, who hadn't said a word since Sirius had told him everything. Dumbledore accepted the sword, and gently placed it back into its case while Remus picked up the broken and blackened locket.

Harry pulled back from the embrace, slightly proud that he hadn't embarrassed himself by crying. He looked up at the other two wizards. "One more seventh down, right?"

The adults allowed a small chuckle, though it was forced. Two seventh's of a soul didn't actually feel like much of a victory, but at least they appeared to be on the right track.

* * *

That weekend had been difficult for Harry. He had spent quite a bit of time with Ron and Hermione, reassuring himself that these were the truth, not the fear driven versions. His nightmares had taken a new twist, but he comforted himself with the fact that they were only nightmares and not visions which, surprisingly, were not happening as often. While his scar prickled constantly, he wasn't having very many visions or flashes of emotions. Deciding that he would take what he could get, he didn't spend much time thinking about it.

Ron and Hermione could tell that something was off. Harry was still doing his morning run with now eight members of their advanced group, and would spend some time training. However, for the past few days he seemed to be more concerned with spending time with them. Ron had told Hermione about the increased frequency and intensity of nightmares, which had prompted Harry to start using a silencing charm on his bed. They were both concerned, and decided that it was time to do something about it.

Their opportunity came when they decided to head to the Room for a while. Hermione set the time delay, and Ron got rid of the targets and dummies, opting for three comfortable armchairs.

"What the – " Harry started, looking around.

Ron pushed him into a chair. "We thought it was time to have a bit of an intervention," he said, and Hermione nodded as she took another seat.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, mind whirling as he thought of a way to get out of this.

"Don't insult us," Hermione snapped. "Ever since you had that meeting with Professor Dumbledore, you've been acting strangely. You look at us as though we're about to disappear."

"You still train, but much less than before," Ron put in. "We've had three Occlumency lessons in less than a week, when we used to have only one a week."

"Clearly you can't tell us everything until we master it, but this is eating you alive," Hermione said, a bit softer. "Tell us something, Harry."

Harry gave them a slight smile. It was nice to see that no matter what, his friends were there for him. "I know I've been a bit different lately. I had a bit of a scare in my meeting with Dumbledore."

"What kind of scare?" Ron asked, concerned.

"I can't give you specifics; not yet at least," Harry reminded them. When they just nodded at him to continue, he did. "I was forced, literally, to face some of my fears; they came to life in front of me." He sighed and looked at them closely. "I saw, among other things, the two of you saying that if I told you my secrets, that you would leave me, because you knew that by staying at my side, you'd die. You asked me, other than Cedric and my parents, who else would die because of me."

Hermione gasped, and her hands flew to her mouth. Ron, though, took a different approach. He got up and walked over to Harry before slapping him upside the back of his head. "You're an idiot," he said bluntly.

"Ron!" Hermione protested.

"No. I'm not going to sit there and let him think that we should leave him, because that would make us safer. You know that's a load of crap. If we stopped being your friends, do you think that would make us any safer? Pardon my French, but Hermione is a mudblood and I'm a blood traitor. We'd both be picked off immediately. On the other hand, if we stay with you, then we have a powerful friend to watch our backs, while we can try to keep his bloody noble tendencies to a minimum."

Hermione was staring at Ron with a grin spreading across her face, and Harry was dumbstruck. He knew that his friends cared about him, but he felt better knowing that they were willing to take the risk of being his friend. He started laughing, and the other two joined him.

"Now, are we going to get some training in?" Ron demanded with a smile. "You've been slacking lately. I think I could take you now."

Harry barked a laugh. "Yeah, we'll see about that."

* * *

The following week started an interesting trend that made the professors smile. While it was now commonplace to see a handful of students sitting at other tables, that was no longer the case. The fifth years, and seventh years though to a lesser extent, of the DA were now mostly divided by subjects. Hermione had worked with other students to come up with study groups and a schedule for everyone. It had taken her several hours, and those that were interested had given her an idea of their free times. Meals were a guarantee to be filled with studying.

Hermione had taken over the Transfiguration group, Susan worked on Arithmancy, and Anthony handled Runes. Neville took care of Herbology, Blaise took Potions, and Ron worked on Charms. Lisa took History, Seamus did his best with CoMC, and Daphne covered Astronomy. Lavender took care of Divination, which made the others roll their eyes slightly, and Dean taught Muggle Studies. Harry, of course, continued to teach DADA. When it was realized that the tutors themselves needed to study other subjects, they each found someone else to help. It was a rotating schedule that took a lot of fiddling, but it was worth it in the end.

All of the teachers were bursting with pride at the sight. They truly hadn't seen anything like it for some time. Of course, the study groups weren't the only change. Ron and Theo had started a chess tournament one night, and it included twenty students from all the houses. Ron, predictably, ended up victor, and Hermione surprised him with a tiny trophy, and she had already carved his name into it. The twins had started taking names for a pick up Quidditch game for when everyone got back from Hogsmeade that Saturday. They had decided that they weren't quite ready to give up their favorite sport.

Then Dean and Seamus had convinced several other boys to join them for a poker night the Friday before, as it would be a nice break as well. Harry had vetoed it when a few of those interested had already planned a study session that night, but he postponed it for Sunday afternoon, and the other two boys and agreed. It wasn't as much fun to have it in the middle of the day, but Harry pointed out that they could have it outside, and they all cheered at that point.

The Hogsmeade visit came, and Harry was grinning the entire time, because Brianna had been allowed to visit again. Though she had been to Hogsmeade once before she agreed that it was a completely different experience when there were dozens of other students there.

Hermione surprised him by dragging Brianna away for some 'girl talk'. Harry watched them leave, giggling, and shared a bemused look with Ron. Harry was just grateful that his one of best friends was spending time with Brianna. In truth, he wished that he could see Lucian, Thom, and Ica, but that would have to wait for summer. It would be nice to catch up with his other set of friends.

That weekend was a nice break for all of them from the constant stress of OWLs. Between the chess tournament, the poker game, Quidditch, and Hogsmeade, everyone was relaxed enough to tackle their work when the week began. It was only two weeks before the exams, and they were all starting to feel a bit better about them. Not that they would slow down their studying, now that they had found that the method of study groups was helpful.

That weekend was another full moon, but Remus insisted that Harry remain behind and study or relax with his friends. When Harry pushed, Remus agreed to see if Sirius was available to spend the moon with him. Harry knew how much of a difference having another animal there helped Moony, so he was determined to make his godfather's time as easy as possible. Sirius, of course, was understanding, and agreed that he would join his friend for the moon.

Harry was dismayed to find, though, that his nightmares had ended, but only because his visions had begun again. He was forced to see meetings, during which Voldemort/Harry had a sickening pleasure in torturing his followers for the smallest reason. Those were the nice ones, though. The worst were when he was forced to watch attacks on Muggles.

The Death Eaters and Voldemort were being smart about it, much to his frustration. They only attacked one or two houses at a time, making it seem like a burglary gone wrong, and Voldemort nearly always joined them. They made it random where they would attack, so there was no way for Harry to warn the Order in time to save them. He would always send Dumbledore an owl as soon as he woke, giving all the details on victims and location as he could remember, but it was starting to affect his sleep schedule. More times than not, now, he would refuse to sleep, and just stay up and study, rather than face the nightly horror. When Hermione noticed the sleep deprivation, she insisted that Harry take a nap during the day. He fought her on it at first, but finally realized that it was something he needed to do if he had any hope of making it through the term.

One evening found him in the dungeons, of all places, as he refused to sleep. He had his mother's potion journal open to the Cruciatus potion next to him, and he was staring into the ingredient cupboards, hoping for some inspiration. He found that Lily had been at a loss to find a way to counteract the drowsiness effect of the painkiller without sacrificing the potency. She had been concerned that making the patient sleepy would be a bad idea if they had other injuries, and needed the patient coherent.

So he was in the Potions classroom, wondering what on earth he could do fix that problem in the potion, when he whirled around with his wand in hand. "Show yourself," he demanded, hearing cloth on stone.

"Not bad, Potter," Snape said, appearing out of the shadows. "Though if I meant you harm, you would be dead, as I've been here for about five minutes already. Ten points from Gryffindor."

Harry scowled, and turned back to the cupboard. "Is there something you wanted, professor?" he asked, feeling far too tired for their usual verbal sparring session.

Snape studied the young man in front of him. "Just wondering what you would be doing in my classroom. You do realize that curfew is in ten minutes, do you not?"

Harry shrugged. "To answer your second question first, I know when curfew is. If you would like to take more points, then go for it. As for your first, I was hoping to figure out a knotty problem that I don't think I can."

Snape's brows rose at the apathetic tone, and he decided to cut the teen a bit of slack. Only a slight amount, though. "What problem would that be? And how do you figure you can solve this problem by staring into my ingredients cupboard?"

"How do you take away the drowsy effect of common pain potions without affecting the potion's ability to, well, remove pain?"

A single brow rose. "Interesting dilemma. Well, you would start by removing the Moondew. That is the main ingredient in nearly every sleeping potion, and is common in the majority of pain potions. However, then you are left with a nearly toxic potion."

Harry considered. "What about Motherwort? It has healing properties as well, and should… wait. That would counteract the valerian later on," he mumbled, shaking his head. He needed some sleep. It was a good thing he was only talking this through and not brewing.

Snape, though, was now fully intrigued. "Valerian? That is not an ingredient in pain potions."

Harry shook his head, still not looking at his professor. "No, sir. It's a combination nerve regeneration/pain potion. Makes it quite complicated. Like I said, this is far beyond my abilities, but it's an interesting problem." Then he thought further, remembering the lists of ingredients he had been reading through over the past year. "What about black birch? It would help the pain, purify the blood, and it might even help the consistency thin slightly, in case the patient is already unconscious."

Severus's jaw nearly hit the floor. That was perfectly thought out, and actually had potential. "What exactly will this potion of yours do?" he demanded.

Finally, Harry turned his head, and Snape looked at the bags under his eyes. "Actually, it isn't my idea. My mother had come up with a Post Cruciatus potion, and had been working on it until her death. She never got the chance to finish it," he said, taking another look at the journal.

"That's what you were looking at during the Order meeting," Snape whispered. Then he shook himself. "Why are you trying to untangle this problem at this hour? Should you not be with one of your adoring fans, or studying for your coming tests? Or perhaps even sleeping?"

Harry couldn't find it in him to get annoyed. "After Vol- Riddle's," he corrected himself. If Snape was going to refrain, for the most part, from being evil right then, that meant he would do the same. "After Riddle's fun the last few nights, I really don't want to see that again."

Snape stared at the boy. "You saw that?" he demanded, voice low. He was aware of the Muggle baiting that quite a few of the Death Eaters were up to lately, and blessed his position as spy that prevented him from being forced to participate.

Harry just nodded. "They've been doing it a lot lately. I don't want to see it again tonight, is all. Figured I could work on this for a while."

"Might I see the journal?" he requested as politely as he could, reaching out.

Harry, to his credit, only hesitated a few moments before willingly passing it over. Snape accepted it, and looked it over. He fought against the fond smile that threatened to pull the corners of his mouth upwards. "Smart thought, to add the liquid oxygen. If you ever attempt to brew this without your NEWT, or having a NEWT graduate with you, then I will see what human ingredients I can use you for."

Harry just shrugged. The threat lost a lot of it's fear after the hundredth time you'd heard it. "Right now it's just an intellectual exercise. It'll be next year before I can start it, and it looks as though it takes two weeks to brew, at least."

"Three, by the looks of it," Snape corrected, eyes still on the page. "Well, I believe that black birch would work well in place of the Moondew. You would have to replace the comfrey with feverfew in the nerve regeneration potion, and make it the oil instead of ground, but that won't be a difficult change. Take out the crushed unicorn horn, and instead use powdered hoof, just make sure that it's free of impurities. Powdered hoof would work better with the feverfew oil."

It was Harry's turn to be slack jawed. Snape was helping him? Not to mention the fact that his suggestions were incredible. He really could see how much more he had to learn. "Thank you, professor," he said honestly. "Could I borrow your quill? I just want to write that down before I forget."

Snape sneered at him, looking much more like himself, but he set the book down and went into his office. He handed Harry a self inking quill and piece of parchment, watching as Harry wrote everything down. When he was done, he handed him the quill back. Severus watched as Harry gently closed the journal and grabbed the last of his things, preparing to leave.

"Potter," he barked as the boy was about to walk away, and he turned back with a confused look. Unable to believe he was doing this, he thrust a vial at him. "I believe you recognize this?"

Harry accepted the vial, and nearly moaned in relief. "Dreamless sleep. Thank you, this will help."

Snape just smirked at him and stalked back to his quarters. Harry decided that he had gotten off truly lucky, having gotten advice, no detentions assigned, and only ten points deducted. He really didn't want to push it twice in one day, so he decided that he'd better hurry back to his dorm.

* * *

**This had a LOT in it, and I wasn't sure about adding the Snape scene at the end, but it fit better in this update than the next. Now, he's still a git, but it's harder to be a jerk to someone that had just admitted to witnessing that kind of crap. Plus, by being less git-like than usual, he was able to take a look at the journal. He is a Slytherin, after all.  
**

**So, after a lot of internal debate, I decided that I was going to go ahead with the Horcruxes. They will be the same ones as cannon, and in the same places. What will change will be how/when they are found, who finds them, and who destroys them. Sirius and Remus aren't about to let Harry go Horcrux hunting, after all, instead of staying in school.**

**For those of you that aren't happy that Harry wanted Remus there when he took care of the locket, let me explain, just in case I didn't do a good enough job before. When the diary had been destroyed, the 'memory' of Riddle was there, and capable of doing harm. It isn't illogical for a fifteen year old to want another fully grown wizard there in case things don't happen the way they thought they would. **


	35. Chapter 35

**OWL time! So, I mention Morgue Hours during this. We had them when I lived in campus housing, and they felt like heaven sent then, so I added them to this. Seeing as it is a school, and it is major finals week for two fifths of the school, I could see something similar to the Morgue Hours being instituted. **

**There's not a whole lot of dialogue in this one, because every time I tried, it just seemed to break up the flow that I had going. The finals are similar to canon, though I did change several things. **

* * *

Having a descent night's sleep under his belt, Harry threw himself back into his studies. He was studying for the OWLs, but he was still working ahead on anything he could think about. He knew that the war was going to come knocking on their door soon enough, and he was determined to be ready for when that came.

Surprisingly, the closer their OWLs got, the calmer he became. Whether that was just because it gave him a sense of doing something worthwhile, or that he only felt that he was calm in comparison to a few of his classmates (who were in near hysterics at times), he wasn't sure.

There had been one instance, a little over a week before, when Hermione was leading a Transfiguration lesson outside by the lake, and Harry was there along with about ten others from various houses. One of the Hufflepuffs had asked a question about Switching Spell just as they were about to wrap up for dinner. Hermione had completely blanked, and started hyperventilating. Ron had been forced to take her to the Hospital Wing for a Calming Draught before she passed out. Harry checked on her later that evening to bring her some dinner, and waved off her apologies.

"Next time just think about it for a moment. We still have time, and that was a tricky question," he assured her. "After you left, we looked it up, and it took a while. I asked McGonagall, and she said that there was no way it would be asked before NEWTs."

She had felt much better after hearing that, though she had her Transfiguration book in front of her for the full two hours she was there. Harry and Ron exchanged identical eye rolls at that, and eventually wrenched it out of her hands to have a normal conversation, rather than another review lesson.

The Wednesday before their OWLs, Harry received another owl from the headmaster, requesting his presence after supper. Harry immediately responded with a yes. Now that he knew one of Voldemort's weaknesses, he was going to do everything he could.

When he arrived at the office that night, he was shocked to see Sirius there. "Sirius?" he asked.

Sirius had a somewhat grim, somewhat pleased expression on his face; a rather strange mixture. "We got another one," he told Harry, handing him a rather ugly ring that was blackened, and clearly no longer a Horcrux.

Harry's eyes widened and he grinned, grabbing the ring. "Really? How did you find it? Where did you find it?"

"Why don't we have a seat while we talk about this?" Dumbledore suggested, and called for a house elf to bring them some tea. When they were all settled, he picked up the tale, telling Harry about his suspicions of the ring being a Horcrux, and where it would have been hidden. He gave Harry a quick rundown of Voldemort's family history, and offered to show him the Pensieve memories another time. He also explained that, knowing Sirius as he did, he'd invited the younger wizard to join him on the quest.

"So, which of you destroyed it?" Harry asked. "I thought I was the one that had to, since I was the last one the sword appeared to."

Sirius shifted slightly. "Not anymore. There was an incident, and the sword flew into my hand."

Harry smiled. He wasn't upset that it had happened, actually the opposite. It was a nice reminder that he wasn't always going to be the one that had to do the dirty work in this war. He knew that there was more of a story of what happened when they destroyed the ring, but Sirius wasn't going to tell him in front of Dumbledore, that was fairly clear. He would just have to wait for later.

"Do you have any ideas on somewhere else that he would have put one of his Horcruxes?" Harry asked both of the wizards.

Sirius shook his head, and looked at the headmaster, who frowned thoughtfully. "Well, I know that he would want them to be safe. One was given to a strong follower, one was under wards in a place that none but those who knew his family would think to look, and we still have the unanswered question of what one was doing in your family's home," he directed the last to Sirius.

"Well, you know that my brother was a Death Eater, so there's a chance that Voldemort gave it to him as well," Sirius said, the words coming out more bitter than he had intended.

Harry bit back a gasp. He hadn't known that Sirius's brother was a Death Eater, but that was, again, a conversation for another time. Sirius didn't turn to look at him, but he did incline his head in a subtle nod, silently promising Harry to explain another time.

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "It is a chance. There are a few places that I must check, but there is a chance that he would have given one to his most trusted follower."

Harry's brow furrowed. "We already know that he gave one to Malfoy," he pointed out.

Dumbledore shook his head. "Actually, his most trusted followers are those that have recently broken out of Azkaban."

Harry wanted to smack himself. He had heard Voldemort say that exact thing in the graveyard. "So, which of them do you think is his most trusted?"

It was Sirius who answered his question. "That would be dear Bella," he said, rage barely suppressed.

Harry tried to remember all of the names from the breakout. "Bellatrix Lestrange?" he asked. "The one who was responsible for Neville's parents?" Just the thought of that was enough to get him worked up. Neville had never told any of them about that, though it had come out with the Prophet article. Harry could understand, and didn't begrudge his friend some privacy. Merlin knew how much Harry would like it on occasion.

Dumbledore nodded gravely. "The very same." He looked at Sirius. "Do you think that he would have given her a piece of his soul?"

"It is very possible. The question then becomes where she would have put it. She would want to make sure that it was safe if she went to prison. She's certainly insane, but she's smart enough to take great care with something like that. I doubt Voldemort would have told her what it was, he's far too smart for that. He likely would have told her that it was something of high value, and to keep it safe for him."

Dumbledore nodded again, as it seemed likely. "Could she have put it in her Gringotts vault?" he asked.

Sirius sat up straighter. "You know, that's a good question, and certainly possible." He stopped talking, and started plotting.

Harry looked at him. "What?" he asked ineloquently, wondering what he was thinking.

Sirius looked up as he continued thinking. "Well, you know that I'm Lord Black, and Bella used to be a Black before she was married. If, as the Lord of her House, I have reason to believe that I need to be in her vault for something, there is a chance that I could."

Harry perked up at that, but was suspicious. "Why would that be allowed? I mean, doesn't it leave a lot of room for corruption?"

"Certainly," Sirius said with a snort. "Not that you would ever hear anyone talking about it like that. Don't forget how far pure blood can get you, and the majority of Lords are pure bloods. It isn't a simple matter of me going to Gringotts today and demanding to look into my cousin's vault; it's a bit more complicated, but it's doable."

"Well, then I believe we have a new starting point," Dumbledore said with a slight smile. "You shall look into that, I shall look at a few more of places that Tom might have hidden things, and Harry, I believe you should just focus on your OWLs at this point."

Harry wanted to argue, wanted to be part of the fight, but he knew better. He made a mental note to talk to Sirius when he had a chance. He stood, knowing that he should get back to his Transfiguration study group, as Hermione was going over Vanishing again, and he figured he could do with the review. He looked at Sirius before he left.

His father nodded. "When is your next Hogsmeade visit?"

"The Saturday after OWLs, so about two and a half weeks," Harry answered.

Sirius nodded. "I'll make sure Brianna knows," he said with a grin, and laughed lightly at Harry's blush. "I know you come home a week after that. If I can't see you before then, then I'll see you at the train station."

Harry gave him a quick hug. "Thanks," he whispered.

Sirius hugged him tightly for a moment, then nodded. "Start thinking about what you want to do this summer, since we'll have time. I'm sure we'll think of a few fun things."

Harry agreed, and the two of them left the office; Sirius through the Floo, and Harry just went down the stairs.

* * *

The rest of the week and weekend was spent with the fifth and seventh years frantically cramming everywhere they could find quiet. After several people went to their Heads, complaining about the loudness in the Towers, the Heads all reinstated the Morgue Hours, which stated that students could do whatever they wanted, but they had to be quiet from 8pm until the next morning. Many of the younger years were furious with that, but finally agreed for the sake of the classmates. The twins, surprisingly, were among the quiet ones. They were taking three NEWTs each, and were cramming along with the rest of them. When they weren't studying, they could be seen pouring over stacks of parchment with Lee in a corner.

When Monday morning came, everyone was nervous to the point that Hermione was almost in need of another calming draught, convinced that she was going to fail all of her tests. Ron, as tactfully as he could, reminded her that there was no way she would fail, not with all of the work she had been doing to get ready for these tests. She had nearly glowed at that, and Harry yet again wondered when they were going to admit that they liked each other. Maybe he should join the betting pool that the twins had started the year before. It was actually Fred's idea, and he'd started it after watching the lovebirds after the Yule Ball.

Harry was nervous about the exams as well, but he was better at hiding it. He spent the morning reviewing every Charm that they had learned. He and Neville went back and forth, memorizing them alphabetically, chronologically, and then by color. Hermione was skimming all of her notes, and Ron was muttering incantations under his breath. Dean and Lavender were trying to outdo each other with by making their goblets dance. They had started dating during the party after the Quidditch final, much to everyone's relief. The two of them had been flirting constantly, so it was nice that Dean had finally overcome his nerves and asked her out.

Finally, breakfast was over, and everyone was sent out of the Great Hall so that it could be prepared for the exams. After an eternity, which was less than an hour, they were all called into the room for their written Charms test.

They were seated alphabetically, with the examiner at the front of the room, and reminded them of the consequences if they decided to cheat. Then he turned the overly large hourglass, and they began.

Harry looked at his test, and flipped through it, knowing that he should do the easy ones first. He caught sight of one.

_Give the incantation and wand movement for making objects fly._

With the image of a troll, Harry grinned and started writing. A few of the questions he needed to think about, as he hadn't considered them before.

_There are two spells described as "Freezing" spells: Glacius and Immobilus. What is the difference, and give an example of the correct time to use each._

_What are the dangers of using the Bubble Head charm?_

He found that he was able to give quite a lot of detail on a few of the questions, and took the entire time writing, though his writing hand felt like it was going to fall off by the end of it. When they were finished, they all handed in their exams with groans of relief.

Lunch followed, though no one took time to enjoy the break .They were preparing for the practical, though Harry was less worried about that one. True, he was a bit concerned, but only because he didn't want to disappoint Flitwick, who had done so much for him over the past year, and all of his help with the DA.

Once again, they left the great hall to let it be transferred into a testing area, but this time they all had to wait out in the hall, and be called in individually and alphabetically.

When Hermione's name was called, Harry and Ron gave her an encouraging smile, and she squared her shoulders. Harry almost laughed, thinking that she looked as though she was walking into a battle, rather than a practical exam. Knowing that the day wasn't far off when they would be doing the former, he sobered quickly.

Ron looked at him curiously, wondering what caused the quick change in demeanor, but Harry just shook his head. No reason to freak his friend out. Especially not before an OWL. There would be more than enough time for that later.

Harry was called in, and Ron just grinned at him. Harry smiled back, and followed the examiner into the room.

"Alright, Mr. Potter-Black. Can you please banish this chess piece onto the correct square?" the examiner said, showing a large, empty chessboard a few feet from Harry. He was asked to banish all of the back row pieces onto the correct squares, and only the queen was a centimeter off of the correct square, so he thought he did alright on that part.

That exam was surprising easy, Harry later thought. He might have overdone it on the Cheering Charms, causing the tiny man to giggle constantly, but it wasn't that bad. His part of the household charms went quite well, which he wasn't surprised at. He'd had a bit of practice with them when he'd been at Sirius's over spring break.

They were done for the day, but that didn't mean relaxation. No, the next day was Transfiguration, and they all knew what McGonagall would do to them if they failed it. Not to mention, most of them needed it for their career choices, so as soon was dinner was over, it was back to the books.

The next day passed much the same as the first. Written after breakfast, and practical after lunch. Harry understood what Brianna had meant when she'd said that the exams were not as difficult as she had thought. Sure, he didn't want to take these ever again, but all the hard work everyone had been doing over the past few weeks was paying off.

For the written exam, Harry struggled with a few of the questions. Transfiguration, despite his success at the Animagus transformation, had never come easy to him, and sometimes the theory was much harder for him than the actual spellwork.

_Why is inanimate to animate transfiguration more difficult than animate to inanimate?_

_What restrictions are there to Switching Spells and give four examples._

Harry was thrilled to find a few bonus questions at the end, and gleefully answered two of them with no hesitation.

_List five dangers encountered in attempting the Animagus transformation._

_What is the spell that can be used to transform an Animagus back to his/her human form?_

For the practical exam, there had been a variety of difficult spells required. He'd been asked to show proficiency in Switching Spells, Vanishing spells, animate to inanimate transfigurations (for him, it was turning a turtle into a teapot), and inanimate to animate transfiguration. For the last, he'd had to bite his lip a bit when asked to turn a large rock into a dog. He thought of Cedric facing the Swedish Short-Snout, and had to force his concentration back onto the exam.

Wednesday brought with it their Herbology exam. There was no written test for this, only a practical, but it took quite some time, as they were brought in a few at a time to one of the Greenhouses, tested, then taken to another Greenhouse while another group of students went into that one. They had to show the examiners that they could handle plants such as Fanged Geranium, Devil's Snare, Mandrakes, Puffapods, as well as how to harvest ingredients such as bubotuber pus and shrivelfigs.

It was several hours before they were finished, filthy and exhausted. Neville was beaming, though, and Harry knew that their friend had likely just gotten an O in that exam. More than one of his classmates, though, needed to go to the Hospital Wing for treatment on a few of the plants that had secreted, bitted, or sprayed something on them.

That evening, Harry didn't bother studying. It was DADA the next day, and he knew that he was ready for it. He had likely been ready for it the year prior, but he wasn't going to brag like that to anyone else. As he didn't want to be seen not studying and be lectured by Hermione, Harry decided to go to Remus' office for the evening.

Remus welcomed him with a smile, and gestured to his office. "Come on in," he said, and sat on the chair next to him rather than behind his desk. "How're your exams going?" he asked.

Harry gave him a basic rundown of the ones he'd had, and admitted that he wasn't concerned about the next one. Remus laughed.

"I'm not surprised. You are quite gifted in Defense, I have to say. What are you most worried about?"

Harry thought about that. "I'm a bit worried for Potions, just because I know that I have to get an O in it to take the NEWT classes. I'm also not sure about Runes."

Remus waved him off. "Considering I saw how well you were doing in Runes over the summer, I don't think you have anything to worry about with that. As far as Potions, just relax. You won't have Professor Snape there to make you nervous, so just focus on what you're doing, and don't blow up the classroom."

Harry laughed at that, and assured his godfather that he wouldn't.

Sure enough, the next day was a breeze, not only for Harry, but for the majority of the DA members. Harry sped through the written exam, thinking idly that he could have done a better job of finding questions. True, he had read quite a few Defense books over the past year, but some of these were far too easy, in his opinion.

_List the five signs that identify a werewolf._

_What is a boggart, and how does one fight them?_

_Give the difference between the Stunning Spell, and the Impediment Jinx._

The practical was nearly a copy of a typical review day in the DA. He had to show proficiency in Disarming, Stunning, Shielding, and another dozen spells that he'd mastered for the Third Task. He walked out of the room, certain that he'd gotten an O in at least one exam.

Ron had the evening free, since he didn't have an exam the next day, but Harry and Hermione spent the evening with Anthony, Lisa, and Justin going over their Rune notes. It was a long evening for all of them, though they hoped that they would do fairly well the following day.

As it was only the OWL, the exam was not two parts, only one. For the NEWTs, there was a practical to show your abilities with carving, but for them there were only translations.

By the end of the exam, Harry was nursing a headache and was thrilled that it was the weekend. Not only did they have time to study without panicking, but they could do it outside in the sunshine.

That weekend, unfortunately, flew by. There was studying for their remaining exams, and Harry spent a few hours with the twins, going over their plans for opening the business as soon as summer started. They had already found the premises, and there were quite a few pranks ready to be mass produced. They had finished the magical flash bangs, and were planning on bringing them to the Hogsmeade trip to show him, not wanting to risk McGonagall's wrath by setting them off during exams. They showed him the Punching Telescope and the Patented Daydreams, which lasted for thirty minutes. Harry couldn't help laughing at the last one, and could only imagine some of the teacher's reactions to them, and understood why the twins hadn't sold them while still in school. He congratulated them, after having tested them himself, and was excited to learn about how they had managed the Daydreams.

The twins, never ones to miss an opportunity to brag about their products, spent the next two hours detailing every step of the production process. Harry could not get over it how intelligent they were when they put their minds to a task. He asked them if they had given any more thought to products that could be geared towards the war effort, and they told him that they were currently working on Shield Hats, but were having some issues with the Charm work necessary to make them last for longer than a handful of curses, especially the more powerful ones. Harry told them that he would get together with them after the Hogsmeade trip, so that the three of them could hopefully figure something out.

On that Monday, they had their Potions exam. As Harry had suspected, the Blood Replenishing Potion and the Calming Draught were all heavily covered in the written exam. Thankfully, Harry had brewed both of those quite a bit over the summer and the school year, so he wasn't worried about that. After lunch they had their practical, and were asked to brew three potions: Burn Paste, a common antidote, and the Draught of Living Death.

Harry thought he did alright. The burn paste he did without looking at the instructions once, having made it for both the Hogwarts and Beauxbatons infirmary quite a bit. His Draught was a hair too thin, but it was the right color and texture. The antidote was the one that Harry was a bit worried about. He tried to remember everything Blaise had told him about them, but there was always a chance that he had messed it up.

That night they spent a small amount of time on their star charts. Harry wasn't worried about passing it to be able to go on to the NEWT, because he wasn't continuing with it. He just wanted to do a good job for Sirius. Sure, he'd said that he didn't expect Harry to follow the Black tradition of loving Astronomy, but he hoped that it would still mean something if he did a good job on the OWL.

They had their written exam in the morning, which Harry thought he did reasonably well on, considering how often he was too tired to stay awake during those late nights in the Astronomy Tower.

After lunch, Ron went to take his Divination final and Hermione her Arithmancy while Harry slept in preparation of being up for half the night. They had their dinner, and then spent a few hours relaxing and then going over the charts one last time.

Thankfully, the exam passed without too much mention. He thought he did fairly well on it, but he would have to wait for the results to find out. It was finished at 4 in the morning, and Harry immediately crashed asleep in his bed.

He and Ron were bleary eyed throughout breakfast, and Hermione was frantically quizzing them in History, which was their last exam.

He fought through the sleepiness, knowing that he could relax afterwards, but he needed to bully his brain into focusing on all of the dates that they had covered over five years, for which there hundreds.

When he put down his quill, once again nursing a sore hand, he couldn't help cheering with the rest. They had actually made it through their OWLs.

* * *

The next day was a Friday, and a chance for everyone to recoup. They no longer had to be quiet, because all of the seventh years had finished their exams, so Fred and George threw another part to celebrate them all surviving their exams. It was also a goodbye party for the twins, because their graduation was the following Sunday, so this could possibly be their last chance to throw a party in the common room, and they went all out. Butterbeer, more sweets than Honeydukes, more food than the Welcoming feast, and nearly all of their pranks were scattered around the room, making occasional bangs and clouds of smoke, and a lot of laughter.

Harry enjoyed the party, and made sure to have fun with each of the seventh years, especially the team. They spent a few hours on their greatest moments, and a few of them he'd never heard about before, having not been on the team.

As the party wound down, though, Harry began getting a bit uneasy. The past four years, something happened right around this time. The last few days of the term, had some disastrous event happen. Harry wasn't sure what it was going to be this year. He truly hoped that nothing would, but it wasn't how his luck worked. Sure, he had his visions, but there was nothing there that would account for a disaster.

The next day dawned bright and clear, and everyone was excited to go to Hogsmeade one last time before the end of the term. Harry had spoken with Brianna the night before, and she had told him that she would meet him in the Three Broomsticks at 11:30, so that they could have lunch with his friends. They arrived at the village at 10 that morning, and contentedly walked calmly through the village as a small group. "So, where to first?" Harry asked, looking around.

Ron stopped Hermione as she opened her mouth. "If you want to go to the bookstore before we leave, that's fine, but can we wait on that?" he begged, and Hermione giggled as she agreed.

So, they went to Zonko's, Honeydukes, Dervish and Banges, and even stopped to grab a few quills for the summer. Finally, Ron agreed to go to Tomes and Scrolls before heading to the pub for lunch. Hermione grabbed an armful, while Harry only bought two to add to his ever increasing library. Ron found a brand new one on Quidditch in America, and looked longingly at it, until Harry motioned to Hermione. She distracted him long enough for Harry to grab a copy, add it to his own, and pay for the lot. When he presented it to his friend, the redhead flushed.

Harry had seen that coming, and already had an argument ready. "I bought it for myself, but do you really think I have time to read it right now? You can read it and keep an eye on it for me. I'll let you know when I want it back."

Ron had looked a bit mollified, and agreed, accepting the book with a nod of thanks.

The three of them arrived at the Three Broomsticks right as Brianna stepped through the Floo. "Hey you," he whispered into her ear as he wrapped her in a hug.

She hugged him tightly, then turned to hug Hermione, whom she had gotten close to on their last trip to the village, and then smiled at Ron.

"Should we find a place to sit?" he asked, looking around. He felt more comfortable around Harry's girlfriend, now that he'd spent some time with her.

Harry scanned the crowd, and spotted Blaise and Theo as they entered. He flagged them down. "You guys have plans for lunch?" he asked, and they shook their heads.

They milled around for a while as they waited for a big enough table to become available, and managed to squeeze together on a table. They ordered their meal to the new waitress that Rosmerta had hired for the Hogwarts weekends. They all started talking together, but avoided talking about grades, because they were all too nervous to think about it, let alone compare answers. Brianna found herself the center of the conversation that time, as they all asked her questions about the village she lived at, her friends, and her family. They were all close to falling off their chairs as she told the story about how Thom and Ica finally had gotten together the week before.

They had all finished eating, and were enjoying another round of butterbeers on Harry, when they heard the screams. Time stood still as the entire pub went silent and turned as one towards the doors.

* * *

**...hehe? I know, you all hate me. We were due for another cliffie, though, since I haven't had one in a while! Not to mention, this was the perfect place to put one, though I'm sure you'll all disagree with me. You had to see it coming, though :-)**

**I always knew that there wasn't going to be a DoM scene. The prophecy was destroyed, and Malfoy had known that, so Voldemort would not have tried to use a vision to get Harry to the Ministry. This, I figured, was much better for the story.**

**As far as the ring Horcrux goes, the sword appeared to Sirius before Dumbledore put the ring on. So, Dumbledore isn't dying a slow and horrible death during this one, and Harry learns that he isn't the only one that can destroy a Horcrux. **


	36. Chapter 36

**Thank you, everyone, for not sending me a curse via PM :-) That means that I'm able to update and not leave you all in suspense. I can't promise that I won't leave another evil cliff hanger again during this, but I think I've been pretty good about spreading them around, right?  
**

**Sorry for the wait on this, though. I meant to have it up earlier, but was having some issues with FF. Hopefully it's figured out now.**

* * *

Harry was out of his seat and running towards the door with Ron and Hermione right behind him before anyone else had even noticed they were gone. The doors flew open and Luna, who was being supported by Ginny, stumbled in.

"What happened?" Harry demanded, getting his wand out and casting a quick diagnostic spell, finding that Luna had a deep cut on her outer thigh.

"There's Death Eaters headed towards the village," Luna gasped.

Harry snarled, but his mind went into overdrive like it usually did in these situations. "Did you see how many?"

"More than twenty, but I don't know more than that," Ginny told him grimly. "They'll be here in a few minutes. We passed a lot of other students and villagers, they'll be coming in as well. A lot of them were attacked." As she finished, Colin and nearly a dozen third years ran in, several sporting burns. None looked too worse for wear, but he could tell that they were going into shock, if the shaking and the glazed eyes were any indication. Just then, more screams pierced the air.

Gritting his teeth, he considered. He turned to Rosmerta, who was hurrying towards them. "Do you have a broom?" he demanded of her. When she simply nodded, he turned to Ron, and quickly Disillusioned him and had Rosmerta give him the broom, which he also Disillusioned. "Get in the air, get an idea of their numbers, and where they are. Let me know as soon as you can." He couldn't see his friend very well, hence the spell, but he could hear the heavy breathing.

He heard the almost invisible friend bolt out the back door, and turned to take stock of what he was working with. There were very few students that were in the there, because they out enjoying the nice day, so he knew that more would be arriving soon. It was known that the Three Broomsticks was one of the only places in the area with a Floo, so they would be coming there. He turned to Colin, and ripped the necklace off his neck, breaking the cord as he gripped the pendent. "Colin, take this. It's a portkey that will take you to Dumbledore's office. Tell him that Death Eaters just attacked the village and that he needs to get the Order here as soon as possible. Tell him that the DA will hold things down until he can get here. Then go up to my dorm, and there's a black leather satchel. Take that to Madame Pomfrey and tell her to Floo here as soon as she can."

Colin was looking near frantic, but he shook his head. "No, I'm going to stay and fight. It's what you trained us for," he stated, although he was shaking madly.

Harry didn't have time for this. "Go!" he said, forcing the portkey into his hands. "Say Phoenix Fire as you hold the pendent. We need the adult wizards, and you have to be the one to get them. Now hurry!" He watched as the fourth year just nodded, and disappeared.

His face hardened, hearing more screams. He turned to Brianna and Blaise, who were exceptional duelers, and then saw Clare in a corner with her boyfriend, a seventh year Slytherin, looking worriedly around; it was clear that she couldn't see Luna, who was starting to grow pale with blood loss. He looked around, but didn't see Daphne. "Clare!" he hollered, and she jerked her head up to him, and saw the hard look in his eyes. She grabbed her wand out of her robes, and ran over to them. Harry didn't wait for her to say anything, but started talking. "Heal as many as you can until help gets here. Don't try to heal if we haven't covered it yet, just stop the bleeding and cast a diagnostic to tell Pomfrey when she gets here. See if you can find someone to get Daphne, you'll need some help."

To her credit, Clare didn't lose it; she just took a second to breathe, then had her boyfriend clear a space to start healing before ushering Luna into a chair and kneeling next to her.

Harry continued, looking at his friends. "I'm going out there to see how many others I can bring back." He wasn't going to think about attacking the Death Eaters. He knew that they were there for him, but all he wanted right then was to make sure that all of the students were safe. If that meant that he had to fight a few Death Eaters, then that's what he would do.

"I'm coming with you," Brianna told him, shucking off her outer robe and whipping out her wand.

Blaise debated for a moment. He knew that these were lives, lives that he could save. He just wasn't sure about declaring himself no longer neutral in this war. Hearing another scream, he made up his mind. "Same here." These were his friends, and he was going to do what he could to make sure that they made it home.

Harry nodded, and saw Theo, who was looking around, a panicked look on his face, and Harry understood immediately. What if his father was one of the ones that was attacking? Making a hard decision fast, he drew his wand and stunned the other fifth year.

Blaise turned to him, furious. "What the hell did you do that for?" he nearly yelled.

Harry silenced him with a glare. "I took an impossible decision out of his hands," he snapped. "If you've got a problem with that, you can stay here."

He motioned to Brianna and Hermione, who had just come back from helping to take the injured to Clare. "Alright, follow me, stay down, and stay quiet. If you see green light coming towards you, duck."

The three nodded at him, though Blaise was still upset, he knew that this wasn't the time. They left the pub and made their way towards the screams, and the smell of burning wood, where Harry figured the Death Eaters were trying to cause as much destruction and chaos as they could.

He ran into a few more of his fellow students, who were making their way to the pub. Quite a few were injured, and Harry hoped that the teachers got there soon. Seeing a few robed figures ahead, Harry frantically motioned to his companions to take cover, and it was just in time as they were spotted by the five Death Eaters.

Harry ducked out and threw a few curses out, and Brianna did the same. Nothing made contact, though, and the Death Eaters were coming closer. Harry knew that Hermione had a very strong shield, though not as strong as Ron's, so he motioned to her to shield them while they tried to take them out.

Hermione shieled them for quite a while, needing to drop it and bring it back up a few times, which let in a few curses. Blaise was the first one to be hit with a Cutting Curse, and he cursed as it hit his leg. Harry sent a Bludgeoning Curse to that one, which threw him several meters away before he fell, motionless.

The sudden flight of their companion distracted the others long enough for them to be taken down one by one. Blaise summoned their wands and snapped them while Brianna bound them. None of them wanted to resort to killing, so Harry memorized where they were before Disillusioning them, hoping that it would keep anyone from finding and reviving them.

They were all nearly startled out of their wits when they heard something land next to them, but they breathed a sigh of relief when Ron dropped his charm, appearing in front of them, pale as a ghost.

"Harry, there's twenty that are on that side of the village," he said, pointing towards Hogsmeade station. "Another fifteen apparated in on the other side. I think they're hoping to surround the village and take out as many as they can."

Harry was grim at those odds. He knew the real reason that they had come on that day. They'd hoped to grab him while he was away from the safety of the castle, and on the last Hogsmeade day when everyone was out and about rather than inside some of the buildings. Harry nodded at his friend. "Thanks, that'll help. How many students out there did you see?"

Ron was shaking. "There were several dozen. Some are trying to fight, but they're getting cut down like crazy."

Harry was beyond furious. His mind continued whirring as quickly as he could make it. "Alright, here's what we're going to do," he started, wincing as fresh screams tore through the air. Those hadn't been screams of fear, but of pain. "I'm headed this way," he pointed, "and I'll try to head as many of them off as I can. Hermione, stick with Blaise, and try to get to that school," he pointed to a daycare that he was sure was filled with terrified children right then. "Ron, you shield Brianna while the two of you get as many students moving back to the pub as you can. If any of you see Daphne, tell her to get her arse to the Three Broomsticks. Clare's strong, but Daphne's better." He could have paired Brianna with Blaise, but he was being a bit selfish, though also a bit practical, his mind argued. Ron had the strongest shields of anyone in the DA, and of most that Harry knew, which was helpful for Brianna. However, Brianna was probably the best dueler of all of them, given that she was older and homeschooled, so he was hoping that she would be able to look out for herself and for Ron.

They all looked ready to protest, at the very least at the fact that he was going to be by himself, but he just glared, and they stopped themselves. He gave each of them a quick hug, knowing how dangerous this was becoming, and he gave a swift, hard kiss to Brianna.

"Don't give your father a reason to murder me later," he ordered, and she offered a weak smile and nodded. "Be safe," he told all of them, before Disillusioning himself, and headed off towards the larger group of DE. All he could hope for was that the Order came quickly. He wasn't ready to morn another classmate.

He came across two students were in the DA, both were Hufflepuffs, and one had a deep gash in her side that was bleeding heavily. Harry let up the charm, waved frantically for them to be quiet as they gasped, and ran over. He knew that he really didn't have the magic to spare at that moment, but she looked nearly at Death's door, so he slowed the bleeding as best he could and sealed the wound. It was sloppy work that would have to be redone later, but it would keep her alive, which was what mattered. They whispered their thanks, and continued moving towards the pub.

Harry ran for a few minutes, before he came across three Death Eaters, who were so busy setting a house on fire that they didn't hear him sneaking up behind them. He managed to bind one in ropes before either of the other two turned around. He ducked under a hastily cast Incendio, and brought down another. An unknown, sickly purple spell missed him by a centimeter, and he felt it burn as it grazed his head. He was locked in a fight with that one for a few, precious minutes, until he was finally able to catch him with a bone breaking hex to his wand arm, which distracted him long enough to stun and bind him, then Harry broke his wand, and Disillusioned him.

He continued on, unaware of the fact that his own Disillusionment charm was flickering in and out. He flew forward with a cry when he caught a Banishing Hex to his back, which sent him flying into the side of a building. He groaned in pain when he hit the ground, as he could already feel a concussion from where he'd slammed his head on the corner of the building. Not to mention, he didn't have his wand, as it must have flown out of his hands. To top it all off, he could tell that his Disillusionment was gone.

"Oh, look, it's Potter," a voice sneered.

Harry would know that voice anywhere. Merlin, how he hated Malfoy Sr. Though he wanted nothing more than to snarl back, or turn and start fighting, he could hear more than one set of footprints, and knew that, even with his wandless abilities, he would have to time this perfectly. For now, he would play possum. The blood that was pouring down his face was hot and itchy, but he refused to let it distract him.

"Come now, Potter, I don't think this is the time for sleeping. Crucio!" he roared.

There was nothing on Harry's mind anymore, other than the pain. A scream tore itself bloody out of his throat as he writhed on the grass.

After a minute of being under the curse, he felt it lifted. "Now, see, that was a bit better," Lucius said, sounding quite pleased. "However, I think there is someone else who wants to see you more than me."

Harry screamed again as he found himself bound tightly with ropes, which just ripped more pain through his body. He could tell that they were the same ropes that had bound Brianna during the tournament, as he felt the black ropes burning his skin, and he couldn't cast anything. He started thrashing, trying to at least free part of his hand so that he could attempt to escape the burning as he heard Malfoy get closer. His breathing became erratic with fear when Malfoy reached down and tugged Harry up, presumably to Side Along with him, when an explosion rocked the both of them back, as well as the unknown second Death Eater.

"Get the hell away ,"

"From our brother,"

"You sodding arsewipe!"

Harry nearly wept in relief when he heard the twins run over. He was quickly released from his binds, and he scrambled to his feet, still shaking terribly.

"You alright, there?" Fred demanded, steadying him.

"Sure," Harry gasped, trying to breathe easier. "Those weren't flashbangs."

"Nah," George shrugged. "We added a bit more of a 'bang' than 'flash' to some of them. Good thing, too."

Harry shook his head to clear it, then he looked around at the two Death Eaters that were laying, unconscious before them. His first thought was to do the same that he'd done for the last Death Eaters he'd fought, but he paused before he could snap Malfoy's wand. This would show that he'd cast an Unforgivable, which was something he couldn't buy his way out of. Instead, he pocketed the wand and stunned both Death Eaters, just to be safe, though they were still out, anyway. Unable to contain his curiousity, he removed the other one's mask, and he sighed.

It was Nott Sr. Now, he was even more glad than before that he'd stunned Theo.

Knowing that he'd already wasted enough time standing there while his classmates were likely getting slaughtered elsewhere, he kicked Malfoy in the head, bound them both in magic binding ropes (Sirius had shown him the non Dark version of the spell that Malfoy had used). That caused his head to start spinning again.

"Come on, let's get moving," George said, trying to steady Harry while Fred was looking around, wand at the ready.

Harry nodded a fraction of an inch, and they hurried off to find more students.

* * *

As soon as Harry took off, the group of four split as well. Hermione and Blaise kept crouched low to the ground and made their way to the daycare, and found that two sides were crawling with Death Eaters, so Hermione motioned for Blaise to cover her, and made for the window, knocking on it sharply. An elderly teacher looked up in fear, then confusion when she saw Hermione. She opened the glass pane just a crack.

"Do you have a Floo?" Hermione demanded, and cursed under her breath when the teacher shook her head. "Keep the kids inside, stay down, and stay quiet," she ordered, and the woman nodded.

Blaise was keeping a lookout, but they hadn't been spotted just yet. He was gripping his wand tightly, wishing he hadn't been put in this situation. Hermione finished her conversation, but he didn't take his eyes off of the road. "Well?"

"They don't have a Floo, and they'll be more vulnerable enroute. We'll keep them here and defend it as best we can."

"Any idea how we can do that?" Blaise asked with raised brows. He honestly couldn't decide which sounded riskier. Truthfully, they were both bad options.

"Not a clue."

"Great."

They both jerked around when a familiar voice started screaming in pain on the other side of the building. They Disillusioned themselves, and moved slowly, though they just wanted to sprint. They knew they would be too easily seen, though.

Hermione nearly screamed when she saw Neville writhing under the Torture curse, all of the Death Eaters laughing gleefully at the sight. "Stupefy!" she cried, and knocked that one out. Of course, they were now compromised, and the duel began.

"Get him over here!" Blaise roared at Hermione as he began sending curse after curse towards the robed figures.

Hermione didn't waste a second, nor did she compromise her postion again. She simply cast a Summoning spell, and the panting figure of her friend flew to her feet. "You alright?" she demanded, helping him up.

"I'm alive," he muttered back at her, upset with himself that he had been surprised like that. "I can fight," he elaborated, and shielded her while she started fighting.

Blaise watched, seemingly impassive as his Banishing charm flew one of the figures into a rock, and he heard the snap of his neck. It was official, he'd killed his first Death Eater. He was now on the side of the Light, whether he liked it or not.

As he was trying to process that, he heard a semi familiar voice yell, "Bombarda!" and part of the building exploaded. He hastily cast a shield that protected himself and Neville; it was one that he'd read about, but never used, as it didn't protect against magic, but rather against physical attacks. It worked fairly well, only letting in some of the shrapnel. Hermione, however, had been casting her own spell.

"Hermione!" he yelled as she went down, shards of wood flying everywhere.

* * *

Ron and Brianna ran down the path as quickly as they could. Brianna, of course, stayed in shape for her dueling classes, but Ron was puffing already. He made a vow right then that he was going to be joining Harry on his morning runs, at the very least. They saw Daphne, Tracy, and Astoria running towards them.

Ron took charge, since Brianna didn't know them from Eve. "Daphne, Clare's setting up infirmary at the Three Broomsticks, she's going to need you until Pomfrey can get there!" he said quickly, and she nodded. "Do you need us to watch your back till you get there?"

She shook her head. "We're not in the DA for nothing," she snapped back, and the three Slytherin girls hurried up the path, wands out and eyes wandering.

Ron nodded to Brianna, and they continued looking for other students that they could help and herd towards the pub. They caught sight of a very bloody Roger Davies, who was practically being carried by his friends. Ron didn't bother asking, but told them that he was going to help them get to safety, and they nodded gratefully. Stupid things like Quidditch finals were far from their minds at that moment, and they just focused on surviving. Ron sent Brianna to lead the way back while he took up the rear.

They encountered two figures, but they were quickly neutralized when Ron stunned one, and Brianna the other. They continued their trek with even more urgency than before. They got to a foot from the pub and watched the Ravenclaws run inside while they stayed outside. Brianna looked at Ron, who just nodded.

"We've got to find a few more," he responded to her unasked question.

To her credit, she just nodded, and cast a look around the area, trying to find the best path to take. She heard a few screams, and took off down one of the paths. Ron followed quickly, ready to cast a shield around her at the first sign of trouble.

They came across Ernie, Susan, and Hannah. Ernie was battling two Death Eaters, while Susan was putting pressure on Hannah's leg, which was pouring blood.

"Hey!" Brianna yelled, getting their attention.

Ron didn't waste time, but cast the shield just in time as a Bone Shattering Hex hit it. He winced at the power behind it, but didn't lower it. He poured as much as he could into the shield, and watched as Brianna and Ernie dropped the two Death Eaters.

They were all panting at the exertion, and Brianna was the first to catch her breath. She grabbed her wand, and cast a quick spell on her skirt, causing a few inches of material to fall off the bottom, giving her a few feet of fabric. "Move over," she said, as gently as she could, to Susan.

Susan looked like she was about to object, but Ernie nodded to her. Brianna wrapped the fabric around the wound as tightly as she could, her wincing as Hannah whimpered in pain.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know any healing spells," she whispered, and Hannah just nodded. "Let's get them back to the pub."

Ron nodded at her. He took the rear again, with Brianna in front, Susan and Ernie on either side of Hannah, who was in the middle of their little group.

Both Ron and Brianna were worried. Ron knew just about every person that was at the village that day, and couldn't imagine anything happening to any of them. He also worried about Hermione, who was off with Blaise. Ron had nothing against the Slytherin, but he wasn't as familiar with him as a fighter, and that worried him. He knew that he and Brianna were both worried sick about Harry, who was by himself at that point, and the one that the Death Eaters were likely trying to capture.

Forcing his thoughts and fears out of his head with his Occlumency lessons he'd been working extra hard on, he kept his thoughts on reaching the pub, and continuing on to find more students. He barely noticed it when they arrived. He just made sure that the three got inside safely, then looked over at Harry's girlfriend. She had a gash on her cheek, though he couldn't remember when she had gotten it, but she her eyes burned with rage, and she was shaking.

"Think there's more out there?" she panted.

"Yeah. The school nearly emptied for this weekend," Ron told her.

She just nodded at him. "Then let's get back out there."

Ron couldn't help but think that she even sounded like Harry right then.

* * *

Harry and the twins came across Lee, Katie, Alicia, and Angelina, who were surrounded by eight Death Eaters. Harry realized that they were, sickeningly, acting like hurting them was a game. In a horrible way, though, he was glad, because it meant that they weren't dead.

The twins couldn't risk throwing one of their more potent grenades, so they threw the flashbang as a distraction, and they launched into an attack.

With the three of them fighting with the help of Alicia and Lee, who weren't as injured, they were able to subdue them fairly easily, and Harry gave them the treatment of snapped wands, stunned, bound, and Disillusioned. He had stuck to using the magic binding ropes, even though it was more advanced. He wasn't about to let any of them escape. Not after this.

He looked at the group, and saw quite a few serious injuries. Even as he knew that he needed to heal them quickly, his head gave a lurch, and he nearly lost his lunch. Shaking his head to clear it again, he stuck with casting bandages and splints on Angelina and Katie. Then he looked at the twins, and ordered them to follow the group to the Three Broomsticks while he continued on.

They wanted to argue with him, but he had a mad gleam in his eyes, and they knew better. So they handed him two of their remaining flashbangs – one being the more potent – and George took the lead and Fred took the rear, both keeping a close eye out for more threats.

Just as they left, a new group of three attacked him, and he frantically cast spells as quickly as he could, knowing that this was life or death. If he even survived the attack, they would take him to Voldemort, which was likely their intention all along. He threw, what he hoped, was the more potent flashbang at the furthest Death Eater, and didn't bother looking over to see if he was down, but rather was forced to focus on the remaining two.

Just as he was ducking a strange black spell, he heard the sound of someone Apparating nearby, but he couldn't take his focus away from his fight.

"Potter!" he heard McGonagall yell, and he backed up towards her voice.

"Professor, glad you could join the party," he shot back, knowing it was a bit rude, but it wasn't the time to worry about lost points. "Where's the rest of the gang?"

"Helping the others," she said, transfiguring one opponent's clothes into marble, which immediately crushed him. She cast the same spell on the last Death Eater, and Harry stumbled slightly.

"Potter, are you alright?" she asked lowly as she put a hand on his shoulder as he took deep breaths to control his stomach. Her eyes, though, never left the surroundings.

Harry nodded, but kept his hands on his knees, bent over slightly in order to catch his breath. What happened next, though, would change him forever.

"Sectumsempra!" a voice yelled.

Harry snapped back up straight to see that the opponent he'd thrown the flashbang at wasn't down, and was only a meter away from them. The curse hit McGonagall on the arm that she still had reached out to him, and it slashed open her forearm. She fell with a cry, and arterial blood started spraying over Harry's face.

A horrified look passed over Harry's face for a brief second before he whipped his wand up.

"Reducto!" he roared, and watched as his spell tore a hole in the DE, killing him instantly.

Harry stopped breathing at the sight, and froze. Then he felt wetness seeping through his trousers, and he cursed himself tens kinds of fool.

He dropped to his knees and dropped his wand, grabbing McGonagall's arm. He started casting immediately through both of his hands. He could feel her bones, which were visible through the tattered skin. Holding back the vomit that wanted to expel for some time now, he poured every bit of magic he could into the unconscious woman laying next to him.

This was the professor that had gotten him onto the Quidditch team as a first year, breaking several rules. She had confiscated his broom when she thought that it would hurt him, despite her devotion to the sport. She had taken his side over Snape's earlier in the year, and treated him as an adult throughout the year.

"Harry!" he heard Remus scream, running over to him.

Harry didn't even look up. "Get Pomfrey, get a blood replenisher, get something, please!" he begged hysterically, not wanting to break focus.

Remus didn't bother running. He apparated away, and Harry continued casting. If he stopped, she would die, and he wasn't going to allow that.

"Stay with me, professor," he pleaded with her, not realizing that tears were falling down his cheeks and blood was pouring from his nose.

"Move aside, Potter," Poppy said, then gasped at the amount of blood that was surrounding the two. She dug into Harry's satchel, which was the only potions that were left, and pulled out the familiar red vial, tipping it down Minerva's throat. "Harry, I've got her from here, stop casting."

"I can't," Harry wheezed. "She's going to die if I stop. I can't kill her, too."

"Remus stop him now or he's going to kill himself," Poppy yelled. She couldn't start his own spells until he stopped his.

"Harry!" Remus barked, gripping Harry's shoulder enough to bruise and yanked him back.

Harry blinked as his concentration broke. He was about to fight, when he looked at his professor, whose arm was looking much more like an arm than it had before.

"Remy?" Harry slurred, looking at the terrified gaze. His brain felt as though it were made of mush, and he really didn't like that feeling.

"What were you thinking?" Remus demanded, seeing all of the blood on Harry's face and down his front, then started looking him over, gasping when he saw the gaping wound on the side of his head.

"Remus, don't hate me," he whispered, starting to tip over.

"Why would I hate you?" Remus asked, laying Harry down, but knowing that he needed to stay awake.

Harry pointed at the DE. "I'm a murderer," he breathed, the truth of the fact hitting him, and all he wanted to do was pass out.

Remus closed his eyes in pain. "Just stay awake, Har. I've got you, and I'm not mad at you."

Harry knew that he needed to collect himself slightly, at the very least enough to be understood. A stinging in his hands showed that he'd clenched his fists so tightly that blood was leaking from crescent shaped cuts where his nails had dug in. The sharp pain, though, in contrast to the dull throbbing everywhere else, helped to clear his mind somewhat. "Remus," he forced out, knowing that the haze was likely to come back. The joys of having gone over concussions so much during his lessons? He knew what to expect soon. "I bound and Disillusioned Death Eaters throughout the village, wherever I came across them." He pulled out Lucius' wand and passed it over. "This is Malfoy's." That was the last of it before the haze came back. This time, he welcomed it. "Death munchers," he mumbled under his breath. "They're hidden, but I know where they are. I can help you find them, I know I can." He started listing the places that he'd hid them, going over them aloud. He realized that his words were beginning to run together, but he couldn't figure out how to slow them down. Rather, it felt as though the words were pouring out of him quicker than his blood, and he needed to tell someone where to find the Death Eaters. That was more important than anything right then.

Remus slowly was getting hysterical at the sight of Harry in shock. "Poppy!" he called, but continued listening to Harry's rant. His heart stuttered when Harry went silent with a groan.

"She's stable," Poppy said, going over to Harry. She started waving her wand over the teen, and sighed. "He's going to be fine, though he'll have a wicked headache for a few days," she said, quickly healing the wounds. He needed a bit more work, but it was the best that she could do for him right then.

Harry sighed in relief as the sickened feeling left him, and the fiery pain in his head had dulled to a consistent throb. "Thanks," he whispered to the mediwitch, then turned to Remus again. "You have to let Dumbledore know about the Death Eaters, or they might escape."

Remus looked at Poppy, who nodded. "I'll take care of these two, you go tell Albus."

Remus nodded, and apparated away. Poppy turned to Harry. "Alright, we should be getting back to the castle."

Harry stood, still shaking from having Malfoy's torture curse on him earlier. Rather than follow the nurse, who had levitated McGonagall onto a stretcher, he went to the DE he'd killed. Kneeling down, he worked to breathe deeply to avoid being sick as he saw that the man was nearly torn in two by the spell. He gently removed the mask, and finally lost the battle against his stomach.

It was Marcus Flint. Harry saw that the look of astonishment and fear hadn't left his eyes. Harry turned and retched until everything he'd eaten for the past week, it seemed, was expelled. Yes, this was someone who had tortured him less than a year prior, who had helped in kidnapping him. He had shown him mercy that day by not killing him when he escaped. This time, there was no mercy. Flint had cast a lethal spell at one of his former professors, and Harry had neutralized the threat. He shouldn't feel horrified; he shouldn't feel guilty.

But he did.

He stumbled away from the body, and didn't even hear Poppy yelling for him. She couldn't leave Minerva there, as she still needed help, but she couldn't believe that Potter was just wandering off, as though in a trance.

Harry didn't realize where he was headed, until he found himself at the spot where Malfoy and Nott were both still Disillusioned, bound, and stunned. He went ahead and lifted the charm that kept them invisible.

He waited there, staring at the two bodies. He knew that, if it weren't for the twins, he would be dead right now, and he honestly couldn't get his head around the fact that he'd escaped that by the skin of his teeth, only to turn around and kill someone else. He sighed. They were in a war, and that's what happens during a war.

He was unsure how long he stood there, staring at the two bodies, unsure of how it had come to this. The father's of two of his classmates, and one former classmate, and those were just the people that he knew of that were there. Still shaking, he sat down hard, and looked at his hands.

They were completely dyed red with his professor's blood. They also had the figurative blood of Flint on them, and he swallowed by the bile that rose into his mouth. How was it that only a few hours earlier, the only thing he was truly worried about were his OWL scores. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

A dual CRACK had him spinning around with his wand at the ready, but then he groaned and grabbed his head when he saw that it was just Remus and Tonks.

"You're not looking so hot, Potter," Tonks said, a frown on her face.

"Not feeling so hot," Harry retorted, and looked from the two bodies on the ground up to the Auror. "You taking them?"'

"Yep," Tonks said, pulling a pocket watch from her robes, and knelt down on the blood soaked dirt to grab the two men by their robes. "Take care," she said, before activating the portkey and vanishing with Malfoy and Nott.

"Let's get you up to the infirmary," Remus said, looking worriedly at his godson. "You still need healing and potions."

Harry slid down the side of the building, shaking. The adrenaline was leaving him, and he wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be conscious. "I don't deserve help," he breathed, hoping that Remus hadn't heard him.

He had. "Harry James," he said firmly. Time around Sirius had accustomed him to hearing Harry called thus. "You might think that right now, but it's absolutely not true. And if I waited for you to realize that before getting you looked at, your father would never forgive me. So, we're going to the hospital wing."

Harry shrugged, but accepted the help up. He hadn't even thought about Sirius's reaction to all of this, and he shuddered. Not for himself, but rather for anyone who got in his way after everything today.

The two of them walked towards the castle, and were surprised to see Dumbledore there with Babbling at his side, and they were checking names of students off as they trudged towards the castle.

"Headmaster," Harry mumbled, looking down.

"Mr. Potter," Dumbledore greeted, a frown on his face as he saw Harry's defeated, slumped shoulders.

"We're on our way to the infirmary," Remus stated, continuing on, keeping his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Then I shall accompany you there," Dumbledore said, looking at Babbling, who just nodded at him. "I need to check to see which students are there."

Though Harry knew that his major wound had been healed, he found that his legs felt like overcooked noodles, and he was struggling to walk in a straight line. Everything hurt, and his head was swimming. White dots entered his vision, and he welcomed the darkness that followed.

Remus cursed and caught him as he fell forward. "Stubborn, idiodic, noble fool," he muttered under his breath, seeing that he'd passed out.

"Indeed," Albus said simply, and conjured a stretcher. "Would you care to accompany him to the Hospital Wing, or get in touch with Sirius? I feel waiting any longer would result in my demise."

Remus nodded understandingly. "Where is he, anyway?"

"He is a Gringotts on an errand. I am aware that Ragnok does not like to have his meetings interrupted, which was why I thought better than calling Sirius earlier. I know not how much longer it will be, however."

Remus nodded, and there was no good way of handling this situation. As much as it pained him, he lifted Harry onto the stretcher. "I'll fetch Sirius. You take care of Harry," he said warningly.

"You have my word," Albus said seriously, and continued on his way alone. He had dozens of things that he needed to do, though, especially in light of the situation now. He would stay for as long as it took for Harry to be looked at by one of the healers that they had brought from St. Mungo's. Hopefully Remus would be able to get Sirius quickly.

* * *

**The next update will finish off that day and begin the next, but I didn't want to add too much of the aftermath to the same chapter as the battle. For those who have been upset about how Harry is not attacking with lethal force, there is a reason for that: he hadn't _had_ a reason. His goal in all of his battles had been to live and escape. The first kill is always the hardest, and now that's what he's going through (I don't count Quirrelmort). Now that he's gotten past his first, he'll begin changing and growing quicker than before as the truth of war hits him.  
**

**Many revelations to come in future chapters, and I'll admit that, in the week between this and the train ride, I think I have enough words to rival the week of the tournament.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Wow, once again, there were a lot of divided opinions on the previous chapter. I knew that Harry's first kill was going to happen there, and it's something that he needed to go through. Now, the canon Harry never actually killed during the war, so there's no way to know whether or not he is in character. He is not going to fall into a complete depression for the rest of my story, though it will take some time for him to harden a bit.**

**Sirius returns in this one, and things might be a bit jumpy, because there is a lot of craziness going on as people try to figure everything out in the aftermath.**

* * *

Remus strode quickly through the halls, making his way to his office, where he could Floo directly to Gringotts. His mind was going a mile a minute, and he thought back to when the day went to hell.

* * *

_They were all in the staff room having their final monthly meeting of the term, debating things such as schedules for next term, the budget, and the curse on the DADA post. Then the door had slammed open, and they all jumped to their feet when Colin Creevy burst in, panting so hard he could not be understood. _

_Dumbledore was the first to reach the fourth year. "Take a deep breath, Mr. Creevy. Severus, a Calming Draught, perhaps?"_

_The Potions Master sneered, but took one from his robes and passed it down the table. Dumbledore held it to Creevy's mouth, and waited until his breath had evened out. "Now, what is it that you needed?"_

"_Attack!" Creevy cried, hyperventilating despite the Draught. "Death Eaters are in Hogsmeade! Harry gave me this," he said, holding up the pendent. "He said to have you get the Order, and that the DA will hold them off until you get there. Then I should run to his trunk and get his leather satchel to give to Madame Pomfrey, since she might need it."_

_Chaos erupted in the room, and Dumbledore silenced them all with a loud bang from his wand. "Minerva, Remus, contact as many of the Order as you can. Severus, I assume you did not know of this development." The two teachers were already in motion and out of the room. Colin had collapsed into a chair, the panic leaving him as the Draught did it's job.  
_

_Snape shook his head. He would have warned them if he'd known, but the Dark Lord tended not to tell him of several things in case Albus decided to Legilimize him. "No, Albus, he did not inform me."_

_Dumbledore nodded, thinking quickly. "Then get to the dungeons and begin brewing anything you think Poppy might need." Severus nodded and quickly left, already calculating the brewing times for blood replenishers, Skel-grow, burn paste, pain potions, and Dreamless Sleep. Dumbledore turned to the remaining professors. Poppy had been unable to attend the meeting, as one of the first year Ravenclaws had come down with Dragon Pox, so she was busy. "Cuthbert, tell Poppy to prepare for the injured, that we will be bringing her potions, and then to head to the Three Broomsticks. Charity, please go to the Gryffindor Tower and retrieve a black leather satchel from Mr. Potter's trunk and take it to Poppy." Binns had already flown out, and Charity left at a run. "Bathsheda, go to my office and retrieve the master list of students. We must ensure that all are accounted for by the end. Start with students in the school, and then Floo to the Three Broomsticks and continue there." She followed the others out of the room. "As for the rest of us, we shall Floo now. Prepare for anything," he warned, and the rest of them hurried out. _

* * *

Remus Flooed straight into Gringotts; like so many others, he was on autopilot. He went straight to the main teller. "Lord Sirius Black is in a meeting with Director Ragnok. I need to speak with Lord Black, if at all possible," he said, forcing himself to remain polite, despite feeling as though all he wanted to do was scream and rage. He still wasn't used to using his friend's title, as it felt strange, but he knew that it would get the attention he needed.

The teller scrutinized him for a moment, before ordering him to wait, and left into one of the side hallways. Remus forced himself not to pace off his agitation, and hoped that the Director would not be furious at having his important meeting interrupted.

Sirius appeared, cloak billowing behind him as he hurried down the hall after the teller, looking confused and slightly worried, though his pureblood mask hid the worst of it. Dumbledore knew how important this meeting was, how long it had taken him to arrange, and now it might be for naught. He hoped that this was important. When he saw the look on his friend's face, though, his heart started pounding. He kept all of it hidden as he looked at Remus, who still had drying blood on his robes. "Am I coming back here shortly?" he muttered to him, and mentally cursed when Remus simply shook his head. He turned to the teller. "Please tell Director Ragnok that I must reschedule. Thank you."

The teller stared at him, aware what an insult it was to the goblins to leave a meeting unfinished, but he nodded, and went back to his duties. Sirius followed Remus to a corner of the room where they could talk undisturbed, though still near their Floo. "What happened?" he demanded.

"Hogsmeade was attacked," Remus said bluntly.

Sirius paled. He knew that Harry and his friends had been there that day. "Harry?" he chocked.

"He's in shock. He helped capture almost half of the Death Eaters, including Lucius, though… he's going to need you."

"What. Happened." Sirius bit out.

Remus hesitated for a moment, before answering. "Marcus Flint cursed Minerva. Harry killed him."

Sirius closed his eyes to fight off the pain from that statement. He knew exactly what he was going to be walking into when he arrived at the school. "Casualties?" he asked as they made their way to the Floo.

"Flint and three other Death Eaters were killed, Lucius and over 20 others were captured, but the rest escaped. Harry and twelve other students are in the Hospital Wing, and quite a few have already been sent to St. Mungo's, I'm sure. Harry sent a student by portkey to the castle, and we were able to mobilize the Order fast enough to avoid any student deaths."

"How injured is Harry?" he asked, but didn't wait for the answer before he took the Floo. Remus appeared next to him a moment later.

"Concussion at least, and exhaustion. He healed Minerva, as well as several others, not to mention the fighting he did."

They were in Poppy's office, and they could hear the screams, crying, and cursing from the infirmary. Sirius didn't wait, but burst into the room, and scanned it quickly. Two of the Order members, quite a few of the teachers, and the students were all being looked at, and it seemed that Poppy had sent for a trauma team from St. Mungo's to help.

He saw Harry being attended to by an unknown healer, though he was lying there, unconscious. Remus shook his head when Sirius motioned. "He needs _you_ right now. I'll go and see if Dumbledore needs any help dealing with this."

Sirius nodded at him, and slowly walked over to his son. He was fighting the memories that were assaulting him from this sight. Hogsmeade had been attacked while the Marauders were in their seventh year, and the school infirmary had been filled to overflowing. This, though, was nearly twenty years later, though it was caused by the same people.

He walked over to the healer. "How is he?"

The healer barely glanced at him. "You are?" he demanded, not wanting to be interrupted. Albus Dumbledore himself had told him what would happen if the healer didn't do his utmost for this student.

"I'm his father. How is he?" he repeated.

"He's better than he should be. From what I was told, he used up a significant amount of his magic healing a professor barely an hour ago. He's on magical restriction for a few days, no exceptions. He'll have a nasty headache for a while, since he seems to have hit it quite hard, and has a few burns and scrapes, but I'll leave a salve for those. He's out for now, but I will also leave a Dreamless Sleep for him later."

Sirius thanked the healer as he finished his work and went on to the next patient. Sirius quickly conjured a chair and brought the curtains to cover them from view. He sat down and picked up Harry's hand, which was icy. He could tell that Harry wasn't going to wake up any time soon, but that was fine. Harry had earned the right to rest, that was for sure! It didn't mean, however, that he had any intentions of leaving him right then. He would stay until either Harry woke and they could talk, or until one of the healers kicked him out. Until then, though, his bum was fixed firmly on his chair.

* * *

Ron and Hermione were standing outside the Hospital Wing, and both were pacing. Both Blaise and Brianna had been injured, and they had absolutely no clue about Harry. As a result, they were both frantic with worry, on top of the terror filled hours before.

They quickly turned when the doors opened, and Remus stepped out. Immediately they began peppering him with questions.

"Who's hurt?"

"Have you seen Harry?"

"Where's Brianna?"

"Where's Blaise?"

"Is Neville alright?"

Remus held up a hand to stem the flow of questions, and gestured at them to follow him down the corridor a bit. When he saw that they were alone, he sighed. "I do not know about anyone else's health, but Harry is being looked at, and Sirius is sitting with him right now." He'd forgotten that Brianna was visiting Harry this break, and groaned. He'd have to find out what was going on with her, and then contact her parents. "Was Brianna injured?" he asked them.

Hermione turned to Ron, who had a grim look. "She had a few cuts, but nothing that looked too serious. She could have been a Gryffindor; she was completely fearless today."

Remus nodded, then turned to Hermione with a questioning look.

She nodded at him. "Blaise had a taken a curse to his leg, but he was fighting through it. I think Neville was under the Cruciatus, but I'm not sure. He looked like he was in a lot of pain, though."

Remus caught himself before he started groaning. He remembered what it was like, just as Sirius did, when Hogsmeade had been attacked when they were in their seventh year. Nine students had died then, so he was counting his blessings now. He just hated seeing his students in pain, emotional or physical. "Well, I don't know about the others; there were a lot of people in the infirmary. For right now, I would advise you to go back to your common room and wait. I'm on my way to the headmaster's office to see what I can do to help." Then his mind caught up with his mouth. "Wait, either of you injured?" he demanded.

Hermione shrugged. "I was at one point, but Daphne took care of it, so I'm fine now."

Ron nodded with her, still looking more serious than Remus had seen before. "Mostly just tired, you know? Didn't get hit with anything, though."

Remus was glad that they were alright. "Good. Now, you'll likely have to answer a lot of questions later, and I'm sure they'll be a late dinner," he said, looking at his watch. Dinner had ended a while ago, but there were likely next to no students that had eaten.

When they just nodded back at him, still looking worried, Remus fought for a moment before he turned at left. He wished that he could stay and help them through this, but there was a lot to be done, he was sure. He made his way to the gargoyle as quickly as he could, and practically ran up the steps.

Albus, Kingsley, Molly, Arthur, Tonks, Pomona, and Filius were already there. There was a grim silence, and Filius looked close to tears.

"What happened?" Remus asked, bracing himself.

Albus was the one that answered. "Roger Davies died."

Remus felt the words like a punch to his chest. Roger had just finished school, and had been set to graduate at the top of his class in most subjects. It was the second student from that class that had died in the last two years. He understood Filius' crestfallen expression now. It was the same one that Pomona had worn the year before. "How?" he found himself asking, wanting to know in a macabre kind of way.

Tonks, whose hair was a light blue in her sadness, sniffled as she looked up at him. "Apparently he bled out. His friends had given him one of the Harry's blood replenishers, so they thought they'd bought him enough time, but it wasn't long enough for one of the healers to get to him."

Remus decided that he needed to change the topic, uncouth though it may seem. "What's happening at the Ministry?" he asked Tonks and Kingsley.

"The Death Eaters that were captured have been taken to the Ministry holding cells," Kingsley answered, for once looking a bit rattled. "Fudge is freaking out, and trying to find a way to minimize this. He's worried about the bad press." The disgust was clear in his voice. He knew that so many of the ones arrested had bought their way out of justice during the first war. There was no way that was going to happen this time, and they all knew it.

Everyone scoffed at that, and Tonks picked up the conversation, her hair darkening quite a bit. "We need to interview the main kids that were involved in the fight as soon as possible. Quite a bit of high up Ministry workers were arrested today."

Remus nodded. "I know that Ron and Hermione are alright, I sent them to the Common Room, and Harry is unconscious in the Hospital Wing right now."

Tonks sighed. "And he was the one that captured most of them. We'll need to talk to him at the absolute soonest that we can. Meanwhile, can we go and talk to the others? The sooner we get their statements, the sooner they can try to heal from this."

Albus nodded, but before he could say anything, Remus spoke up again. "How is Minerva?" he asked, truly worried. He knew how much magic Harry had poured out to try and heal her, but there had still been a lot of damage.

"She's going to make it," Albus said, and everyone let out relieved sighs. "Poppy stated that she may not be able to use that arm for a few weeks, but she should make a full recovery. If Harry hadn't started healing right away…" he trailed off, and everyone shuddered at the thought.

"Until she can resume her duties, we need someone to step in as Head of Gryffindor," Filius said, trying hard to keep his emotions hidden. "Hogwarts decree states that students cannot be questioned without their Head being present."

Remus shifted. He would love to, but him being a professor was difficult enough for most parents. He would never be allowed. "What about Sirius?" he asked, as everyone was quiet. "He's respectable enough that parent's might not be as upset. I know for a fact that he would love to be here for Harry right now. Not to mention he's already here. I could sit with Harry while he helps with the interviews," he offered.

Everyone sat up at the suggestion, and Albus gave a tiny twinkle at that. "A very smart idea, Remus, thank you. Why don't you go to the Hospital Wing and ask him. Kingsley, would you like to go with him so that you can start the questions right away?"

The two of them just nodded and hurried out, leaving the rest of them to continue with their discussions. True, there were others that could be questioned in the meantime, as all of the Houses had fought, so Tonks was working on her own list. She hoped that Kingsley would be able to give her a better idea of who she needed to talk to when he was finished with Ron and Hermione.

* * *

Sirius wasn't happy to leave Harry, having vowed not to leave him until he woke, but it was clear there wasn't much of a choice. The healer that had healed him said that he might not wake until the morning, and that was the only reason that Sirius was willing to leave his side, that and the oath that Remus swore not to leave Harry's side until he woke, unless Sirius had come back.

As it was, he was following Kingsley to the Gryffindor Common room. They were going to use Minerv – no, his office, as they needed to question all of them separately, to make sure that their stories were straight. True, he wouldn't be official until he signed the papers, but knowing Albus, he would likely have them waiting for him, only requiring his signature.

Walking into the Tower was a frightening experience for Sirius, for once. He was used to it being the loudest room in the entire castle, but it was deadly silent, as every student that was in there, which was nearly every Gryffindor, was staring around, lost.

Sirius stepped inside, Kingsley a step behind him. "Can I have your attention, please?" he requested, raising his voice slightly, and they all turned as one to look at him. "My name is Sirius Black, as many of you likely know, and I am Harry's adopted father. For the foreseeable future, I am going to be your head of house."

The room erupted into exclamations and questions about McGonagall. He raised a hand, and they all fell silent, though some were slower than others. "Professor McGongall was injured during the battle, and will need time to recover. However, recover she will, as the injury was not fatal. Now, while I am on the topic of the battle, this is Auror Shacklebolt. There are several questions that need to be asked about what happened in Hogsmeade today, and what each of you were able to do. So, we will be talking to each of you individually. If you do not wish to speak with us without your legal guardians present, that is fine, please sign your name to a parchment, so that we know who to contact. Who would like to go first?"

Ron and Hermione, of course, were the first to raise their hands, so Sirius waved to Hermione, and they left the Tower together.

The three of them walked in silence through the hall until they got to Sirius's new office, where they walked in. Sirius saw the papers waiting for him, like he'd been expecting, and grabbed a quill, scribbling his signature on the four forms, and handed them to the owl that was waiting at the window.

He waved to the chairs, and they all sat down. "Alright, Herm, I mean, Miss Granger," Sirius corrected himself, wondering what on earth he was getting himself into. "If you could start from the beginning and tell us what happened today in Hogsmeade."

Hermione took a deep breath to calm herself. It had been a long day, and she just realized that she was getting hungry, which seemed like such a mundane thing compared to the rest of their day. "Harry, Brianna, Ron, and I were having lunch at the Three Broomsticks," she started, and told them about how Ginny and Luna had arrived, and the latter was injured. She explained how Harry had taken charge of everything, and then they all went out to bring as many students to safety as they could. She went on to tell them how Harry had split them up once Ron brought back news of where the Death Eaters were, and how she and Blaise were sent to guard the daycare until help could arrive, and how they had found Neville being tortured by Death Eaters.

She was in tears by the time she finished, saying that Tonks and Arthur had arrived, quickly subduing the last of the assailants.

"Thank you for telling us all of that," Kingsley said in his calm voice. "Now, where you able to distinguish any of the Death Eaters today? Did any masks come off? Anything that would help us identify them?"

Hermione thought about it. "I only remember that there was one female, and she was the one that was torturing Neville."

Kingsley made a note of that, and nodded. Sirius asked the next question. "I heard that you were injured during the battle. What happened, and when were you healed?"

"One of the Death Eaters blasted the side of the daycare, and a few of the shards hit me," she said, still distracted by the memories. "As soon as Tonks and Arthur arrived, we went back to the Three Broomsticks, which was overflowing with people trying to get to the Floo. Daphne didn't have much to do, because she was never professionally trained for the serious injuries, so she came over to look at me, and healed me."

"Who trained her, then?" Kingsley asked, curious.

"Harry did," Hermione said, chocking up slightly. She could only imagine how much worse things would have been today if Harry hadn't sacrificed so much of his time to help train Daphne and Clare. "He started learning at the start of the year. After he went to St. Mungo's with Madam Pomfrey, Daphne and Clare asked him if he would teach them, and he agreed. He told then which books to read, and spent a few hours with them once a week. I think he spent a few days a month with Madam Pomfrey to learn himself."

Kingsley nodded, thinking. It might be a good idea to have a healing class for those in their NEWT classes. It could at least be an option. Not to mention, it would be nice for St. Mungo's not to have to spend so much time and money training people. He would think on it later. "Is there anything else you wish to add to you statement?" he asked instead.

Hermione looked at them with pleading eyes. "What happened to Harry and Professor McGonagall? Or Neville?" she asked softly. "We haven't heard anything about the people that are in the infirmary. I don't even know where Brianna is, and Harry would be so upset with me for losing her, since she doesn't go to school here. Can you tell us anything about…"

Sirius gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Harry is going to be alright, but he has to stay in the infirmary until he wakes up and has a few more tests. Professor McGonagall was injured badly, but she will be back to teaching in the fall. I do not know where Brianna is, but I will find out, you have my word; the same goes for Neville. I'm sure they're both still getting looked at right now."

Hermione just nodded, and excused herself from the room, promising to send in Ron next.

Sirius sat back with a groan. This was going to be a long evening.

* * *

By the end of the night, Sirius and Kingsley had spoken with every Gryffindor who had been in Hogsmeade that day that wasn't currently in the infirmary. He had located Brianna, who had been so frantic to find Harry at the end of the fight, that Poppy had dosed her with a Calming Draught; given the fact that she was already injured and exhausted, both magically and physically, it knocked her out for several hours; by which time her injuries had healed, and the infirmary had actually emptied slightly. Neville was still rather shaky, but was released with instructions to eat quite well and rest.

The number of students that were ordered to refrain from magic until the end of term was so high, that Sirius wondered if there would be any magic performed at all. Most of the students were unable to use magic for over four hours straight, and performing such high level spells as well. Many students would be released from the restriction after twenty four to forty eight hours later, as it was just a precaution for some.

After finding Brianna, he had attempted to convince her to return home, but she dug her heels in, stating that she had no intention of leaving until Harry woke back up, and that her father could ground her when she returned. Sirius nearly groaned when he realized just how stubborn she was. He agreed, but had her Floo call her parents, letting them know that she was alright, that Sirius would be in touch with them later for the details, and then sent her to the Gryffindor Tower, with strict instructions to stay there until he came to get her. She was so relieved that he was letting her stay, that she quickly agreed, and then ran off. The house elves were serving a very late dinner to each of the common rooms, rather than attempting to have everyone in the Great Hall.

Sirius and Kingsley made their way up to Albus' office to compare notes with the others. Tonks was with Sprout, Dawlish with Filius, and Savage with Snape. When he got to the office, he found that the only one not back was Filius. Albus gravely told them that he was breaking the news about Roger to his classmates, and advised the rest of the Heads to do the same first thing in the morning, as most were likely asleep by now. Sirius had to suppress a scoff at that, knowing that there were likely very few people that would sleep soundly that night.

They all compared notes, and realized that the only person that they had yet to speak with was Harry. They knew that they needed his statement quickly, or they risked Fudge acting like the idiot he was, and finding some way to let the Death Eaters go, if he did speak with Malfoy.

Kingsley tried to assure them that they had the time, that Malfoy was in one of the highest security holding cells, given his use of an Unforgivable, but they all knew the power that he wielded. Therefore, he'd gone to speak with Madame Bones about his worries, and she quickly instituted a 'no visitor' policy for the arrested Death Eaters. Anyone tried to break it, she would be notified immediately.

Sirius told them that he would continue to sit with Harry, and as soon as the teen was able, he would be questioned. Albus nodded, and they all sat down, having many more things to go over.

* * *

Around three in the morning, Sirius managed to drag himself to the Hospital Wing. The meeting had lasted quite a while, and all he wanted to do was to sleep. He knew that he couldn't, but it was a nice thought.

He saw Remus reading a book by the low candlelight that was shining, and made his way over. "Anything?" he murmured.

Remus didn't even twitch, having heard him coming in. Heightened hearing was just one of the joys of being a werewolf. "No, he hasn't moved since I've been down here. Poppy came to look at him a few hours ago, and said that he should be waking up pretty soon."

Sirius nodded and drew up another chair, looking around the room. He could see that there were about ten others that were staying here, though he assumed that more had been transferred to St. Mungo's for treatement. Not only were there professors, students, and members of the Order that had been injured, but the townsfolk as well. He leaned back with a sigh. "You can go get some rest, Moons. I'll stay with him now."

Remus stood and nodded, closing his book. "I'll be in my rooms. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything."

Sirius quickly assured him that he would, and settled in for a long wait.

Only a few hours later, with the sun beginning to peak in through the windows, Sirius looked down at Harry when he started to stir.

It started slow, with just his fingers twitching, but then it escalated quickly. His face turned into a look of pain, his breathing quickened, and the twitching turned into jerking.

"Harry," Sirius called, trying to bring him out of the nightmare as quickly but calmly as he could.

It took a few more tries, but Harry finally gasped, sitting all of the way up, and looking around, eyes wide and breathing erratic.

"Breath, Paws," Sirius soothed, holding his hands up. "It's just me."

"Sirius?" Harry demanded, trying to calm down a bit. He closed his eyes as he tried to slow down his breathing. "When did you get here?"

"Remus brought me here yesterday after you were brought into the infirmary," Sirius told him. He paused, knowing that he needed to get one of the Aurors, but was unwilling to have Harry questioned the second he woke up.

Harry, it seemed, had other ideas. "Do they need my statement?" he asked, looking at the far wall with a grim expression.

Sirius nodded stiffly. "Yeah, they do. But they can wait a little while if you want to rest."

Harry shook his head quickly. "No, I just want to get it over with." Then all of the memories came back, and his eyes widened again. "Is McGonagall alright? I did everything I could, but Remus pulled me back before I could finish healing! What about all of the other students? And the villagers? Did the Order get there fast enough?"

"You've been spending too much time with Hermione," Sirius noted with a sad smile. "Relax. I'll answer your questions, then I'll get the Aurors. First of all, Professor McGonagall is going to be fine." Harry let out a deep sigh, and Sirius realized how terrified he'd been. "Remus was right to stop you, because you were pouring the last of you magic into her, and would have continued on to your own life force if he hadn't stopped you. Yes," Sirius said sternly, seeing Harry stare incredulously at him. "Poppy is none too happy with you, so expect a lecture in the near future. Now, Minerva is going to be out for the rest of term and the summer, but she should be back by fall term. For now, I'm the Head of Gryffindor."

Harry snorted, trying to release the tension in the room. "I wonder what McGonagall would have said if you had told her that when you were in school."

Sirius couldn't help the bark of laughter at the thought. It had been one thing that James had been Head Boy, and Sirius had been astounded that Remus was a professor. Looked like the true Marauders had more responsibility in them than anyone could have thought. "A few of the villagers were killed, but far less than expected."

"What about students?" Harry asked, unsure if he wanted the answer.

Sirius sighed. He hadn't been to the Tower to tell the rest of the House yet, but he knew that Harry deserved an answer. "Roger Davies died."

Harry was stricken. He hadn't seen Davies that day, but he could see the teen clearly in his mind, especially after the Quidditch Final. He had been quite fair, that first time Harry sat at their table the next day. He had shaken Harry's hand, apologized for blocking him so hard during the game, and congratulating him on the catch. "How?" Harry asked, eyes closed.

"He bled out from a curse. A healer wasn't able to get to him in time," Sirius said quietly.

"Any others? What happened to Brianna? Is she…?" His throat closed up, and he couldn't even finish the thought.

"She's fine," Sirius said quickly, not wanting Harry to think otherwise. "She's in the Gryffindor common room. I spoke with Marco last night, and he's not too happy about what happened, but said that she could stay here until dinner, when she has to go home. Everyone else is alright. A few curses, quite a bit of magical exhaustion, and a few of them may have to stay in St. Mungo's for a few days, but they'll make it through recovery."

Harry nodded stiffly. "Can you get the Aurors? I want to get this over with."

Sirius considered, and decided that he wasn't going to be able to get Harry to open up just yet, and he nodded. "I'll be right back," he promised, and went to the Floo. A quick conversation later, and Kingsley stepped out.

Kingsley and Tonks had fought over who would interview Harry, and it was finally decided that Kingsley would be best, as he could keep everyone around him calm, plus he had been the one in charge of the Gryffindors' statements, so it only made sense.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter-Black," he said, pulling up a chair. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Harry said shortly. "How are we doing this?"

"Start at the beginning, and walk me through what happened. At the end, I may ask you a few questions just to help clarify something."

So Harry began with their lunch at the Three Broomsticks, and how he quickly assessed the situation. He explained why he had Ron take to the air to get an idea of their numbers and locations, and made sure that everyone knew that Daphne needed to hurry to get to the pub. He told them his reasoning in stunning Theo to save him from having to decide between his classmates and his father. How he'd sent Ron and Brianna around to help students get to safety, since they were the best shielder and dueler respectively. How he had sent Hermione and Blaise to protect the daycare, since he didn't want any of the young children to get hurt or killed.

He told them the details of his dueling of the Death Eaters he came across, and what happened when he was ambushed by Malfoy and Nott. He told them how the twins had saved him with their inventions, and then they continued on, trying to find more students to help.

He forced himself to stay clinical when he spoke of fighting with McGonagall next to him, how he'd failed to subdue his opponent that had cursed McGonagall, killed the Death Eater, then hurried to try to heal his professor until help got there.

"The rest of it is kind of a blur," he told them, looking at a spot on the wall to avoid the looks of the two wizards. "I remember Remus getting Pomfrey; I remember taking off Flint's mask. After that, the next thing I remember is Remus helping me up to the castle."

Kingsley was taking quick notes. The teen had been thorough in his statement, never giving his opinion, just the facts. "You mentioned that you gave Mr. Creevy a portkey to the castle. Where did you get one?"

Harry stiffened, remembering that Dumbledore had told him not to let the Ministry know that he had one to Dumbledore's office, but it was a bit late for that. "The headmaster had given me one to his office at the start of the year," he admitted. "I was on magical restriction, and was worried what would happen if I was ever ambushed alone, so he gave it to me. When I heard that there were at least two dozen Death Eaters, I knew that we were going to need the professors, so I took the youngest member of the DA that I could find and sent him to get help."

Kingsley nodded. "Well, sir, I believe that you should feel very proud. You trained healers to help, and you took charge at a time when many of the Auror recruits would have frozen."

Harry thanked him quietly, and started getting up, but Sirius stopped him with a look. "Poppy wants to look you over before you can leave," he reminded Harry quietly.

Harry knew that he was right, and decided not to fight him at all. After only a few minutes of silence, Poppy came out of her office and spotted the three of them, and hurried over.

"How are you feeling this morning?" she asked gently.

"I've got a bit of a headache, but other than that, I'm fine," Harry told her, and she nodded.

She waved her wand over him, and muttered under her breath. "You are alright to leave here, but I'd like you to come back tomorrow for me to take another look. Also, no magic for at least two days." She grew quite stern, giving him a glare. "When you come back tomorrow, we will be having a conversation on not draining yourself when healing. I should have discussed that with you when I first started teaching, but I thought you understood."

Harry just nodded. Even without Sirius's warning, he'd known that she wouldn't be happy with him for pouring so much of his magic into McGonagall, but he didn't regret it. A few days without magic was not the worst price to pay when it came to his professor's life. He stood. "Then I think I'm going to head to the kitchens and grab a bite to eat," he said.

Sirius stood as well, since it was time for him to go to the Tower. "I'll see you soon."

Harry just nodded at him and left. His body was on autopilot, and he found himself at the kitchens. He was quickly served, and the house elves seemed to realize that he didn't want their usual exuberance, so they just gave him a heaping plate of food and a goblet, then continued on with their usual tasks.

He forced himself to eat, knowing that he needed to, but the food just tasted like ash to him. Eating quickly to get it over with, he thanked the elves, and made his way back up to the Tower. He really needed to check on his friends, but then he was going to find something that he could do that would keep his hands busy and help. Maybe he could go brew for a while?

He gave the password to the Fat Lady, and was immediately engulfed in a hug. Hermione held him tightly. "Oh my gosh, we were so worried about you! Are you alright? What happened? Where have you been? Did you talk to the Aurors yet? Did Sirius tell you about Roger! I can't believe that!" She was crying into his shoulder, and he held her tightly, feeling that this was just a tiny thing that he could be doing. He looked over her shoulder, and saw Ron, who was white as a sheet, the twins who were looking grim, and Brianna, who just looked ticked. Sirius was in the corner, having just finished giving them the news.

"Hermione, I'm going to need to breathe soon," he muttered, and her hold loosened slightly. "Yes, I heard about Roger. I've talked with the Aurors, I've been in the hospital wing, and I'm fully healed. Let's have a seat, and we can talk."

Hermione nodded and pulled back. Harry went to Brianna, and gave her a tight hug, kissing her neck gently. He was so relieved that she was alright. He'd been worried that she'd been injured and Sirius just hadn't wanted to tell him about it, but she was perfectly fine. Physically, at least.

Colin and Dennis had been sitting on the couch, but they hurried to get up. Harry wondered why they were acting like that, but he really didn't have the energy to think about it. He and Brianna moved to the couch, but Harry clasped Ron's shoulder, looking him in the eyes. No words were needed for them, but Ron just nodded at him, and they all moved to sit down.

Most everyone started leaving for breakfast, but the four of them stayed, as did the twins. He had Ron and Brianna start, detailing their part of the fight, then moved on to Hermione and then the twins.

Everyone waited patiently for Harry to talk, but he found that he couldn't. Brianna tightened her hold on his hand, and Hermione placed hers on his knee, both silently encouraging him.

He started, and faltered every once in a while but made it through the point where McGongall had been cursed.

Suddenly, he was no longer in the common room. All of his senses were taken over in memories. The feel of spells whipping past, the sounds of the screams, the sight of Flint's unseeing eyes, the smell of burnt flesh, and the taste of McGongall's blood as it sprayed his face.

His stomach rebelled, and Fred hurriedly conjured a bucket just in time for Harry to heave his breakfast into it.

Brianna wished she knew what to do, but she couldn't think of anything, and looked around, eyes wide in panic. Ron leaned forward, and grabbed Harry's bicep.

"Harry, focus. You're here in the Gryffindor Tower. The battle is over. Smell the perfume your girlfriend is wearing, feel my hand, hear my voice. You're safe, and so is everyone else."

The rest of them were staring at the redhead, amazed at how well he was handling the situation, but he just waved at them, continuing to talk calmly to Harry until his eyes lost the glazed look.

His face burned in embarrassment. "Gods, I'm so sorry about that." He jumped up and tore out of the room before anyone could stop him.

They all watched him leave, some starting to get up, but Ron waved them back down. "He'll come back when he's ready," he said, with a defeated sigh.

The twins couldn't take it anymore. "How do you know how to handle him so well?" Fred demanded.

Ron bit his lip, wondering how to explain, before he shrugged. "Last summer, when Bill came back? He'd lost a friend of his to a cursed room they'd been working on. He had a flashback, and I just watched what Dad did. He was crazy embarrassed that I'd seen him break down like that, and took off, again, just like Harry did. He came back later that night, and the three of us talked about it."

"So, we should give him some time to cool off,"

"Then if he doesn't come back, we can go looking for him," George finished.

Ron, Hermione, and Brianna nodded. Each of them were wishing that there was something that they could do, but they knew there wasn't.

* * *

Severus entered his classroom, having heard from Daphne that she had seen Potter run in there earlier like the hounds of hell were after him. He stopped in his tracks, though, when he saw the teen.

Harry had five cauldrons set up, and they all appeared to be different potions brewing. He threw in a handful of beetles into one while he was stirring another clockwise. Then he hurriedly started chopping on one cutting board, before tossing the lot into a different one, and stirred two at once. Snape had never seen a student handle so many potions at once. It was idiotic to do so, as there was far too much that could go wrong if you didn't have your entire attention on the processes.

Harry lowered the flame on one cauldron, and took another off the flames completely, setting it aside to cool. Then he hurried back to another to continue stirring. Something caught his attention, and his head snapped up. "Who's there?" he demanded, as the person was in the shadows. Since he wasn't sure who it was, he grabbed for his wand. Restriction or no, he was going to protect himself.

"What are you thinking?" Snape snarled, stalking over. He gave a cursory glance to each of the cauldrons, and received a shock. They were all fifth year potions, and they all looked perfect.

"I'm brewing," Harry snapped back.

"What you're doing is dangerous and arrogant," Snape informed him coldly, taking over two of the cauldrons to help finish.

"I'm not going to blow up your precious dungeons," Harry growled, continuing with his work. "I'm not nearly as horrible at potions as you like to think, and I've done more than one potion at once before."

"Yes, and the fumes can mix together to create a toxic mess that could have killed you."

Harry stared at the man, but counted his stirs carefully. "I hadn't read about that," he said calmly, but was mentally berating himself. Why hadn't he thought of that?

"Of course not. It's mentioned in the seventh year books. Not many students before that will attempt more than two potions at one time," Snape told him, voice still cold. "At least you've thought ahead enough to have different knives and cutting boards for different ingredients. Granted, we did talk about that in second year, but it's a pleasant surprise."

Harry just shrugged. Once again, he really didn't feel like verbally sparing with the man, and was just going to continue brewing. They both looked up as the door opened, and Blaise walked in, eyes zeroing in on his Head. "Professor, Auror Savage said that he needs to speak with you again about something."

Snape nodded, taking one cauldron off the flames, and lowering the flame on another. "Very well, tell him that I will be right there."

Blaise nodded, giving them a strange look. It certainly wasn't a common sight: to see those two together and neither was yelling. He just shrugged slightly, and walked out.

"This has ten minutes to simmer before the next step," Snape reminded Harry with a raised brow. "I don't want to see you doing something this idiotic again. Use a ventilation charm, if you must. Place it at least three feet above your cauldron," he finished, then swept his robes around as he spun on his heel, and walked out.

Harry was a little surprised at the advice, since Snape would normally have yelled at him and taken points. He wondered what it was, especially since he must know that Harry had stunned one of his snakes before the battle started. He continued on with his work, deciding that he would likely never know what was going on with that professor.

After he'd finished with all of the potions, he started bottling them, trying to keep his hands and mind occupied. The last thing that he wanted to do was to think about how he'd completely lost it with his closest friends. How could he have done that? What would they think of him after seeing him break down like that?

The door opened again, and Harry's hand jerked up, ready to fling a spell, but it was just Blaise again. "Hey," he said, nodding.

"Hey yourself," the Slytherin said, barely disguising a limp.

However, Harry'd had leg injuries, and been around Brianna enough that first week to pay attention to that. "What happened? I thought you would have been healed by now."

Blaise shrugged as he leaned against one of the tables. "I was, but one of the major muscles was cut, and I didn't get a chance to have it looked at quick enough. Pomfrey thinks that I'll be good to go in a day or two."

Harry fought back the guilt. Logically, he knew that it wasn't his fault, and he needed to get used to this. He sighed, putting the finishing labels on things. "I'm glad to hear that," he said, finding two bags in the corner of the room.

Blaise was silent, studying his 'potions buddy' as he started packing half of the jars and vials in one, and the rest in the other. "Where are those going?" he asked.

"In my potions bag," Harry answered immediately. Poppy told him that she had already sent it back up to his dorm, after thanking him for it. "Everything in it was used at the pub, so it's completely depleted right now. It'll take a while to get it back up to where it was. I'm hoping to get at least the major healing potions in there before I go back home." He finished what he was doing, and looked up. He could tell that something was bothering his friend, and he just waited.

Blaise took a deep breath, and looked at the floor. "I killed Scabior."

Harry stood up straighter at that. "What happened?" he asked, just as quietly.

Blaise took a few minutes to tell him the story of what happened at the daycare. He gave the minute details (the ones that Harry wouldn't tell anyone, even on a good day) before he finally sagged against the desks, collapsing onto a chair.

"Your first?" Harry asked, taking a seat as well.

Blaise nodded. "That's not the only problem, though," he said, looking back up at Harry's confused face. "The Zabinis are infamous for staying neutral, not just in war, but all politics. Me killing a known Death Eater changes that. Permanently. My mum and new step-dad sent me a letter, and they really aren't happy with me."

Harry let out a gust of air as he chewed over that. "What about your father?" he asked, thinking it through.

Blaise shrugged. "We haven't spoken in a few years. Mum told me all kinds of stories about what a horrible guy he was. Lately, I've been wondering how many of them were true, or just her trying to poison me against him."

Harry nodded as he thought that through. "I'd contact him," Harry said honestly. "Maybe the two of you can talk a bit; both about the situation today, and all the years you've missed out on." Then he thought about a conversation that he and Sirius had during Christmas break. "If you need a place to stay for part of the summer, just let me know."

Blaise's eyes widened, almost comically. "You're serious."

"Of course," Harry said, trying to mask the scoff. He remembered having the same feeling when Ron offered, so he really had no place to judge. "I'll let Sirius know, and we'll work out some details just in case."

Blaise nodded and stood. "I'll go owl my father now, and let you know when I hear back from him."

"Take your time," Harry said, grabbing the two bags, which were heavier than he would have thought. He watched as Blaise limped towards the door, and started walking out, before another part of his brain caught up. "Hey, Blaise!"

"Yeah?"

"Tell Theo the offer is extended to him as well," Harry said seriously, and turned around again to have the cauldrons start floating back to the shelves.

Blaise thought about saying something, but decided against it, and walked out, even more on his mind then when he'd walked in.

* * *

**One bit of explanation in case people get confused. I'll have more in the next update during Poppy's talk with Harry, but I know that I've used magical exhaustion quite a bit in my story. However, they are adolescents, and therefore, their magical cores are not up to using so much magic in such a short time frame. Harry has built his up quite a bit, though he was using a lot more advanced magic, as well as being injured. Like I said, Poppy will have a more complete explanation in the last one.  
**

**The reason for Roger Davie's death was that I could not believe that so many Death Eaters attacked with no innocent lives lost. The first and second years weren't there, and a lot of the third years ran into the pub at the start of the fighting, thus avoiding most of it.**

**There was no way, though, that I was going to have Hermione or McGonagall die during this fight, and one of our favorite lions will heal and return :-) The rest of the day will be on the next update, but this one was already lengthy.  
**


	38. Chapter 38

**Yay, update! I start my second summer class tomorrow, but I'm going to try and keep updates fairly regular. Don't worry if I miss a weekend every once in a while, because that usually (not always, but usually) means a longer chapter that needed a bit more editing work. **

**I know I don't say it very often, but I really do appreciate all of the reviews, follows, and favorites that I've been getting. My family is well used to my phone beeping at me all hours of the day when I get an email alert from FF. Thanks for making this even more enjoyable for me :-)**

* * *

When Harry got back to the Common Room, he was surprised to see that Brianna wasn't in there, nor were the twins. He spotted Ron and Hermione in a corner, talking quietly, and sighed. It was time to face the music.

"Harry," Hermione breathed, relieved to see that he was alright.

"Have a seat, mate," Ron said, summoning over a chair while Hermione set up a privacy ward. The common room wasn't as crowded as the night before, but it was still populated.

Harry sat down, and looked at his friends. He really should give them more credit, he thought. They weren't looking at him with pity, or anger. "Sorry about, you know, before," he said lamely.

Ron waved that thought away. "Stuff it," he said without any rancor. "You doing better?"

Harry thought about that. "Not really," he said, deciding to be honest. He chuckled when his friends looked surprised at his honesty. "Where's the others?" he couldn't help but ask.

Ron shrugged. "Out looking for you. I tried telling them that you would come back when you were ready, but they wanted to find you."

"I think George is looking for people to join in another pickup game of Quidditch, though," Hermione told him. "It's getting far too serious here at the end of terms the last few years. He doesn't want it to end of that note their last year. I think they'd consider it a failure as the pranksters."

Harry let out a chuckle at that. "True, it's their last year here. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't want to go out with a bang."

They spoke quietly for a few minutes, before deciding that it was time to find the others. They had just walked out of the Tower when they literally ran into them.

"Harry!" Brianna yelled, grabbing him in a crushing hug. "Don't you ever run off like that again, you had me worried!"

Harry hugged her and whispered an apology before looking up at Fred. "Where's your better half?" he asked.

Fred grinned. "He's on the pitch. Found a few people interested in playing. You in?"

Harry looked down at Brianna, who smiled. "Want to learn to play?"

Her eyes lit up, and she nodded quickly. "I'd love to!"

So their small group went back into the Tower to grab their brooms, and then made their way to the pitch, where they found close to thirty students from all the houses already there. Harry wasn't surprised to see the Ravenclaw team already there. They were all crying silently as they held their brooms and stared over the pitch, but their faces held resolve.

Harry stepped forward. "How about we start with warm ups, and then we'll draw for teams," he suggested, his voice carrying easily over the silence on the field.

Everyone just nodded, and took to the sky. Harry mounted his Firebolt, then looked at Brianna. "We'll start the easy way," he told her, motioning for her to get behind him.

Brianna chewed her lip in nervousness, before climbing on, and she wrapped her arms tightly around her boyfriend.

"Ready?" he asked, and felt her nod. He smiled slightly as he took off. He always loved flying, from that first class all those years ago. It was as though he was leaving his problem back on the ground, and could outfly them. He started out slowly, both in speed and in moves. After a few minutes when he felt her relax slightly, he decided to pick things up. He started upping his speed a bit, and took the corners a bit sharper. He grinned at her squeak in surprise before he shot almost straight up.

"Harry!" she cried, holding onto him for dear life.

Harry laughed and leveled out, quite a bit above everyone else, before he pointed the nose of his broom back down and streaked towards the ground. For a moment there, he thought Brianna had cracked one of his ribs as she squeezed his midsection tightly.

Harry pulled the broom back to level much earlier than he usually did, and let them skim along the grass for a few meters before he slowed to a stop.

Brianna jumped off the broom, shaking slightly. "Are you insane?" she demanded, letting her internal organs catch up with her.

Harry chuckled. "Always have been," he quipped, then turned a bit more serious. "Are you alright? I was trying to hold back a bit since it was you first time…"

"That was holding back?" Brianna asked with a grin, now that she had relaxed a bit. "You really are crazy."

They ended up getting Brianna one of the school brooms to use, and she seemed to be doing a bit better, flying next to Harry for the rest of the warm up time. When it came time to draw names for teams, she begged off. "It's one thing to learn to fly, but I don't think I should push it by adding the game right now."

Harry understood her reasoning, and motioned to where Hermione was sitting, and figured the girls could spend some time together. There had also been quite a few more people who'd come out during their warm ups, so they had a pretty good crowd going.

They decided to start with familiar teams, and had another Gryffindor/Ravenclaw game, with one of the reserve Chasers in the game, and Cho had taken over as Captain.

No one wanted to think about this by doing pre-game pep talks, so they just started. They kept score, but only because Lee wanted something to do during all of this, since he was finished with school now as well.

If you asked Harry later, he would tell you that he didn't remember much of what happened during the games. He knew that the games didn't end with the catch of the Snitch, since both he and Cho had caught it a few times. After a while, they had decided to hit the deck and draw names for new teams, since there were other players from reserve teams, and the House teams wanting to play as well. So they took turns playing, and did so until it was time for dinner.

All Harry could really think about was the fact that he actually managed to out fly his mind that day. It didn't matter what had happened the day before. It didn't matter that he'd killed a former classmate, or that he had nearly been killed more than once. All that mattered was the wind in his hair and the broom between his legs. It was a kind of meditation for him, and he knew that it was truly better than any other meditation exercises he'd done before.

When they all finished for the day they realized that dinner was about to begin, so they all hurried to shower in the locker rooms, and made their way back to the castle. Harry kept Brianna tucked into his side from the moment he emerged from the showers.

They entered the Great Hall as one, all thirty of them, getting a few strange looks from everyone. Harry noticed the somber expressions that everyone wore, and felt the relaxation of the day bleed away. Well, it was nice while it lasted.

Harry and Brianna sat with the Ravenclaws that night, lending what silent support they could. He noticed that Dumbledore didn't give a speech, but he supposed that the headmaster was simply waiting until the Leaving Feast, as all the Heads had told the Houses about Roger.

The next thing that Harry was aware of was everyone leaving the Hall, and he looked over to Brianna. "You've got to get back," he stated.

She nodded sadly. "Yeah, I should have been back already."

He stood and pulled her up. He folded her into his arms, using her as an anchor. The fact that she had been there for him through all of the hell the past 24 hours had been a blessing. "Thank you," he said simply, but meaningfully.

She understood. "Anytime," she whispered into his shoulder. They met for a brief but passionate kiss, before Sirius walked up to them.

"You ready?" he asked gently, and they both nodded.

"Call me tomorrow," Harry told Brianna, who nodded at him.

"Meet me at my office?" Sirius asked Harry quietly, who just nodded at him.

Harry knew that Sirius was taking Brianna to one of the few Floos that allowed travel, so it would take a few minutes, so he took his time walking back to McGona – no, Sirius's office, he reminded himself. Merlin, that was strange to think about.

As he took a seat inside the office, he took a few minutes to collect himself. He knew that McGonagall was going to be alright, but it was still strange to think about her not being his Head of House. He jumped slightly when the door opened again, and Sirius walked in.

"She get home alright?" Harry asked, playing with the hem of his sleeve.

"She did," Sirius confirmed. "I think Marco will have a few questions for you the next time you speak with her over the mirrors, but I already warned him not to badger you about it."

Harry just gave Sirius a look of thanks, who nodded in understanding. He decided to start the conversation by telling Sirius about the offer he had lent to Blaise.

Sirius considered. "I know Manuel, actually. I think if Blaise offers an olive branch, he would love to see his son. I never did believe all the things that his ex told about him. If he needs some time to get his house ready, though, I don't have a problem with letting him stay. And I've already spoken with Nott about him staying with us. He's going to talk to his mom, and let us know the day of the Feast."

Harry nodded. "What's the plan for the summer?" he asked, curious. It was the first time they would have the entire summer together, and he was looking forward to it.

Sirius leaned back in the chair. He wasn't sitting in the one behind the desk, but sitting next to Harry. "Part of the depends on who stays with us, and for how long. I'll have quite a bit of work to do this summer, in light of the attack yesterday, but we can figure a few things out. If we have time, do you want to spend two weeks or so at Beauxbatons?"

Harry smiled, an actual, true smile. "That would be great." He really did like the French school, and he found himself missing it on occasion. "Or are you just wanting to see Caroline again?"

Sirius swatted him lightly on the arm. "Watch the cheek, mister," he said sternly, but his eyes were bright, glad to see Harry acting somewhat normally. "I was thinking we could get a few things figured out, and maybe spend the first few weeks of July in France. We'd be back in plenty of time for your ceremony."

Harry nodded. "After that, then, I'd like to spend some time at Gringotts, to figure out exactly what I need to do as Lord Potter."

Sirius hid a wince. He knew that he needed to reschedule his meeting with Rangnok, but that would have to wait for now. He had far too many things to worry about as it was. He would find a way to check out dear Bella's vault later. "We'll talk with them, as well as the Ministry. I'm sure you can find an advisor."

Harry nodded. He knew that he would be relying on Sirius a lot as it was, but his father had other things on his mind. "Do you think I could start learning Gobbledygook, then? I've read about how much goblins respect you more if you speak their language." He needed something, a project, to keep his mind off of what had happened. Not to mention he had been wanting to learn it for a while.

Sirius nodded. "They do, and we can start that tomorrow, if you want. I have a couple books on it back at the house, so I'll swing by there later and pick them up." He watched Harry's reaction, and then continued. "Have you thought about having another DA meeting before the end of term?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I did. I'll have one more for each class, and then I'll have a short one with everyone the day before we leave."

"Sounds like a good idea," Sirius told him, then sighed as he looked at the mound of papers on his new desk.

Harry understood. "I'll head back to the common room now, if that's alright."

Sirius stood. "You know where to find me if you need something. Even if it's just to talk," he reminded him.

Harry nodded at that. He wasn't going to bother him if it was something small, but he knew that he was going to take advantage of the fact that, for once, he had his father at the school if he needed it.

After a quick hug, Harry left to head back to the common room. He found that his friends were all still waiting up, and Hermione was knitting while Ron and Neville played chess. Seamus, Dean, Lavender, and Pavarti were playing Exploding Snap while the twins were pouring over papers in another corner.

He took a moment to drink in the sight. This was normalcy. This was what he was going to fight for, regardless of what anyone might think of that. This was family, and this was what he was going to remember when it came time to fight again.

* * *

Harry should have seen this coming, he really should have. He rubbed his temples as he felt a headache just beginning, and made plans to stop by the Hospital Wing as soon as he was finished here, if only to escape. Of course, that would be just as bad, since he knew that Pomfrey still wasn't happy with him. He sighed as he resigned himself to this fate, wondering how he could have let himself be caught unawares like this.

"Slow down, everyone!" he called to the twenty students that were waiting for him by his usual seat at breakfast. "Now, let's try this again. What's up?"

Kari, a fourth year Slytherin that Harry had met the day before during the pickup game, stepped forward bravely. "We want to join the DA," she stated, and everyone else nodded.

Harry sighed. "Alright, you do realize that we only have one meeting left before summer, and I was planning on doing this again next year, right? It's not like you'll learn all that much before going home."

"It would be nice to have an idea of what happens during the meetings," a sixth year Hufflepuff said, looking downcast.

"We'll learn what spells are usually covered, so we know what we should practice before we go home," her friend said.

Harry rubbed his temples again, and looked over at Hermione, who was hiding her grin behind her hand as Ron shook with silent laughter next to her. He vowed to get back at them for laughing at him during this. "You can join us, but you'll be bound by the same rules that everyone else is. When you get there, you'll sign the parchment so that I can make sure no one is a Death Eater," he continued, ignoring their indignant looks, "and then I'll have a crash course with all of you. Come to the one Wednesday night, which is the beginner class. I want to see where everyone is at."

Some looked pleased, and others looked upset, but they left him to his breakfast. He sat down on the bench and groaned. Just what he needed: more work before break.

"I think you handled that alright," Hermione said, still grinning, but went back to eating her bacon.

He shot her a baleful look. "Well, I'm glad you think so, because I'm going to need you to come and help cover that class while I handle the newbies."

Her eyes shot up. "What?" she demanded. "Why me?"

Harry poured some juice, his face impassive, but inside he was laughing. "You know the spells, and you've been helping me with a few of the stragglers in the advanced class, so I know you can help. Plus, you didn't seem concerned with helping me out during that," he said mildly, and started eating.

Hermione was doing a very fine impression of a fish as she gaped at him, trying to think of something to say, before wordlessly closing her mouth and nodding. A moment later, she grabbed a blank parchment, and started writing, mumbling under her breath as she worked over it.

Harry grinned as he watched her, knowing that he had made a smart choice. He turned to Ron. "Do you want to come and help out? I think the more help the better, especially if I get more people that show up."

Ron brightened and nodded quickly, his mouth too full to talk.

That day passed fairly quickly, to everyone's surprise. There was a week between the end of exams and the train ride home, and for a lot of the students, it dragged by. For Harry and his friends, though, they made sure to keep themselves quite busy.

From breakfast until lunch, the smaller group of advanced students worked in the Room. None of them wanted to spend time reading, so they worked on duels with uneven numbers. Harry was not the only one of the group that was on magical restriction for another day, so he, Anthony, and Daphne simply watched and critiqued.

During lunch, Ron and Harry read while Hermione worked on her plans for the beginner class. Ron was still working on the Redirection book that Sirius had sent to him. He was doing quite well in their practices, and he was nearly there. Harry thought that if he was unable to get into his friend's mind for ten minutes, then it would be time. Harry himself was reading a more advance potions book. The more he read his mother's potions book, the more he wanted to brew quite a few of them, because he knew well how much they would be needed during the war, as she seemed to have focused on healing potions the most.

After lunch was over, Harry went to Poppy for his check up. She'd had to postpone it one day, as she had needed to go to St. Mungo's for the day to help, as they were overwhelmed with all of the new patients in addition to their usual ones.

"Afternoon," he said, sitting down on his (usual) bed.

"Good afternoon. I hope you've been following my orders about magic?" she asked, starting to wave her wand over him.

"Of course," he replied with an easy smile. "Tomorrow morning at the earliest."

She nodded, focusing on her work. "You're good to go," she said, then grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him back on the bed. "Ah ah, not yet. I meant health wise, but you still have a lecture, if I remember correctly."

Harry bit back a groan, and nodded meekly. "How could I forget?"

She sighed, and summoned a chair, sitting down. "Harry, I didn't give you this lecture over the summer, because I assumed you had gotten the lesson. Our bodies are different than Muggles' in a variety of ways. It is possible for a Muggle to die because they simply drained themselves; their bodies simply give out. It's unusual for that to happen, but it does. For magical people like us, it is so much easier. Not that our bodies will let us do it without giving us warning signs. Typical ones include dizziness, migraines, even blacking out."

Harry nodded in understanding. He could quite easily give himself headaches by pushing too hard during training, so he understood that part.

"That's our magical core giving our bodies a warning signal that it is almost used up. If a witch or wizard continues to use their magic beyond that point, they can start to use their life force, just like a Muggle would. Continuing to use magic can cause irreparable damage, including but not limited to a temporary or permanent loss of magic, brain damage, nerve damage, coma, or even death." Her face was entirely serious as her gaze bore into his. "When Remus stopped you, it was because I was afraid you were about to start drawing on your life force. I care deeply for Professor McGonagall as well. I consider her to be one of my best friends. However, I know that she would never forgive herself, or me, if you had sacrificed your life to save hers, especially when you knew that I was on my way to help."

Harry started shaking. He knew that there had been dangers of overusing magic. His grandparents' book had been clear about it, but hadn't gone into detail about this. "I didn't know," he whispered.

Poppy leaned forward and grabbed one of his hands in both of hers. "I know, and that's why I'm telling you this now. You did a lot more magic than your classmates that day, Harry. Daphne and Clare only did healing, and the rest of them only fought. You, however, did both. You also did much more advanced magic than the rest, which is why you were in more danger. Now, quite a few of your classmates overstretched themselves, simply because their cores aren't used to this, like yours is. As adolescents, your cores are still growing, much like your bodies and brains, and as such they must be stretched and strengthened carefully. That's why you don't begin learning magic until age 11, and you start small and build to more advanced magic. However, all of you did quite a bit of magic at the village, and right after two weeks of draining exams and practicals; your cores did not have the time to replenish." She squeezed his hand a bit tighter. "Please, Harry, promise me that you understand this, and that you aren't going to risk yourself like that again."

Harry considered. That moment of healing McGonagall was burned into his mind, and his imagination could easily replace it with Sirius, Hermione, or Ron. His family. "I will make an effort not to do that again," was the best that he could do.

Poppy seemed to understand, though she wasn't happy about it. "Very well. Continue to think about it, and I will be here if you have any questions."

Harry stood and stretched his back a bit. "Could we have one more lesson before I leave?"

She gave him a weak smile, and nodded as she stood as well, banishing the chair back to her office. "Sure. How about Thursday?"

Harry thought, and nodded. He had his beginner class on Wednesday and the advanced class on Friday, so it worked perfectly. "Thank you," he said.

She knew that he meant more than for the lesson, and simply nodded.

Harry left the infirmary with a lot more on his mind than when he'd gone there. He'd known for a while that this war was likely to be just as deadly and dangerous as the last one. However, he was facing the moral dilemmas now that he was in a war, himself.

It was prophesized that he was the only one that could end this war, which could end up saving hundreds of people in the long run. Why, then, did he feel cheated, knowing that he didn't have the option of possibly saving someone that he loved?

Deciding that his 'saving people thing' had been doing the thinking for him, he shook his head to clear it. Brooding about it wasn't going to help him. However, there were dozens of things that he could be doing right then that would make a difference, and so he decided to put everything else out of his mind for the time being.

* * *

The rest of the day had been hectic, as he'd ended up talking with Clare and Daphne, then Anthony, and finally Blaise. They'd all had ideas of different things that could end up helping, so he had made a schedule to talk to each of them. He had worked closely with each of them, and wasn't going to brush them off. For now, though, he wanted to spend some time with his best friends.

Ron, Hermione, and Harry decided that they would go up to the Owlery to see Hedwig and Pig after breakfast. It had been a while since they'd been up there, and it was nice to spend time with just the three of them.

"Hey girl," Harry murmured when Hedwig flew down and landed on his shoulder. She nipped his ear slightly, to show her disapproval at being neglected. "I know, I'm sorry."

She seemed pleased with that, and with the treat that he gave her from his robe pocket. He went to stand at the open window, where he looked out over the grounds.

Ron was getting the same treatment from Pig, and Hermione was smiling at the owls' antics. There was silence, until Harry spoke suddenly.

"Guys!" he whispered hoarsely.

Hermione walked over to him. "What is it?" she asked.

"Hagrid's back!"

Ron rushed to the window to look, and sure enough, the large, familiar form of one of their favorite teachers walked into his cabin. He whirled around to look at his friends. "Did you know he was back?"

Hermione glared at him. "Of course not! Come on, let's go see him!"

The three of them ran down to the cabin, barely stopping to catch their breath when they got there, and Harry hurried to pound on the door.

"Not eve' been home an hour," a voice grumbled from the inside, before the door opened wide. His face broke into a grin. "Shoulda known it'd be yeh three. Come in."

The trio hurried into the cabin, and each gave Hagrid a hug, before they burst into questions.

"Where have you been?"

"Was everything alright?"

"What were you doing?"

"Alrigh', pipe down a bit, le' me get a cuppa," Hagrid groused good naturedly. Within ten minutes, they were all seated with a drink in their hands, before Hagrid started.

"Now, I can't tell ya everythin', ya know tha'," he warned, then shook his head, as if reminding himself who he was talking to. "Professor Dumbledore sent me an' Olympe to talk wit' the giants."

"Giants!" Hermione gasped.

"Yeah, there's a colony in France, so we though' that would be the best place ter start." Hagrid continued on to describe what happened when he went with Maxime to the colony. He began telling them about his arrival there, and then the arrival of the Death Eaters. He explained about the fight, and then his discovery of his family.

The trio was silent as they were understanding about his mental dilemma at that point.

"I knew that it wasn't safe ter bring 'im back here, wha' with all the kiddies here. He's not used ter being 'round other people, see," Hagrid said, looking sad.

"Where is he?" Harry asked, leaning forward. He understood why Hagrid's brother couldn't come to the castle, but he did feel bad for his big friend, not being able to have family nearby.

"I left 'im near another, smaller colony, in France. I got an owl from Professor Dumbledore, tellin' me about the attack a few days ago." Now he looked grim. "Wha' happene'?"

Harry sighed, and the other too looked at their laps. "We were attacked at Hogsmeade, during out last trip of the year," Harry started, and told the tale, leaving out the gritty details. He still was having trouble thinking about them, much less telling everyone. The other two added their own perspectives during the fight, and Harry finished. "So, Sirius is Head of Gryffindor until McGonagall is back to full health. He said she should be alright by next term," he finished.

Hagrid looked furious that he hadn't been there to help during the fighting. "Professor Dumbledore tol' me about Roger Davies," he said, and paused when he saw the flinches that the name brought. "I'm sorry."

Harry nodded, ignoring the lump in his throat. This was getting ridiculous. Last year it was Cedric, and now it was Roger. He stood before his brain caught up with his body.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked, brows furrowed.

Harry jerked slightly. "There were a few people that wanted to talk with me. I think I should go."

Hagrid looked disappointed. "Well, ya know where ta fin' me," he said.

Harry went and gave him a quick hug. "It's great to have you back. We missed you," he said quietly, before hurrying out the door.

He ran up to the castle; all of his running made sure that he didn't get winded by that short of a jog now. He looked at the time and saw that lunch was still over an hour away. It gave him time to talk with one person. Making a quick decision, he made his way to the Ravenclaw common room, knocking on the gargoyle. He probably could have answered the riddle, but he didn't want to barge into their space like that, especially if they weren't expecting him.

Luna was the one to answer the door. "Harry! Who are you looking for?" she asked, a smile on her face, though it looked strained.

"I was trying to find Anthony, actually," Harry told her.

"He's inside. I'll go get him for you," she said, and hurried back inside. Anthony walked out only a few moments later.

"Harry, what are you doing here?" he asked, curious.

"You said yesterday that you had something you wanted to talk with me about. Is now a good time?" Harry asked, wanting something to keep his mind occupied.

"Sure," Anthony said, bemused. "Let's head to the usual place."

The usual place was actually the deserted classroom that they used for practicing their Runes. They made fairly good time, and set down their bags before sitting atop the desks.

"So, what was your idea?" Harry asked curiously, pulling out a notebook.

"Well, after the fight, I was talking with a few of my friends. We were trying to come up with ways that we could fight better. I mean, this was just the start, wasn't it?" His eyes were grave.

Harry realized that he wasn't the only one to make the connection that this was the war finally starting to pick up. "Yeah, it's the start."

"So anyway, we were thinking that everyone needs to fight with their strengths. My strength is Runes. It always has been. Do you think there's a way to use Runes for this war?"

Harry considered that question. "There's Death Wards," he mused aloud. "Those are Mastery level and beyond, though, so I don't think we could touch those. Not to mention the fact that they're illegal."

"What about Rune'd bands? Wear them on your wrist, or around the neck?" Anthony thought. "Might be able to get them to bounce low level spells, in case you're hit from behind."

Harry grinned, though it felt strange to do so. "I think I need to formally introduce you to the twins. You'll be good resources for each other."

Anthony grinned back. "That sounds great! I've always wanted to talk to those two; informally, of course."

"Sit with us at lunch. You'll have time to talk then," Harry promised.

They spent the next short time going through a list of Runes that they were capable of carving that might come in handy. It was a short list, but they agreed to get together during the first week of the fall term and reevaluate the list. It was a given that they would keep in touch by owl regarding this.

When they entered the Great Hall, Harry wasted no time in finding the twins, and quickly filling them in on Anthony's idea. When he left, he saw that Fred and George were looking quite happy about having another student wanting to work with them. It wasn't a secret that, while the twins were considered popular, and well known by the entire student body, they didn't have a lot of friends. People were worried about being considered guilty by association, so most of the twins' friends were in Gryffindor.

Hagrid received a very loud welcome from a lot of the student body. The mood, which had been quite dark and heavy ever since Hogsmeade, lightened a bit that evening.

Harry did look over the four House tables, studying each face. Some were smiling sadly (as there wasn't really another way of smiling yet), some were still choking back tears. A few had their noses buried in books, while others tried to keep their minds occupied by talking with their friends. Harry noticed a lot of angry faces; the obvious ones were from Malfoy's cronies, and there were a few others sprinkled through the Hall. Thankfully, none of them were in the DA, so he assumed that the parchment was still working. He wondered if it was a permanent charm, or if he would need another one at the start of the following year. It was something that he would ask the headmaster about when he had the time.

As soon as the meal was over, he was flagged down by Daphne, Astoria, and Clare. He nodded to them, and they made their way to the classroom where he'd been talking with Anthony. He waved them inside, and closed the door, putting up the usual privacy charms.

"Alright, what's up?" he asked, leaning against a desk.

"A lot of students approached us after the battle," Clare started. "We knew that it was unusual for students to know so much healing, and they were all curious where we learned."

"We have a lot of people who want to learn as well," Daphne said, with a quick glance over at her sister.

Harry sighed and rubbed his temples. It was amazing how much people were willing to learn as soon as they had the war slapped in their faces like this. If it had been during the school year, he would have been pleased. He wished that if there had been an attack, it would have been during the term, so that people actually had a chance to work on the things they wanted to. "Give me a list of their names, and I'll talk to Madame Pomfrey. She's so much more qualified to teach than I am, it's not even funny. Tell them the titles of the two books I had you all read. That should give everyone a chance to learn over the summer, and they'll be more ready at the start of the fall term."

They were actually ready for that, which made him happy. Daphne gave him a list of eight names of people that had approached them, and told him that they had already advised them about the texts.

Harry thought idly that Flourish and Blotts should give him a discount whenever he went there, given how much business he'd been floating their way. He accepted the list of names, and told them that he would get back to the three of them about what Poppy said.

After they left the classroom, Harry went to find Ron and Hermione, who seemed to be waiting for him. They decided to go for a walk around the lake, which was rather calming.

"So, what are your summer plans?" Harry asked them after nearly 30 minutes of silence.

"I'm going to talk to my parents," Hermione said quietly. "I want to see if I can convince them to relocate for a while. Britain isn't all that safe for them right now, and I don't want anything to happen to them."

Ron wrapped an arm around her shoulders when her voice wavered. "Charlie and Bill are relocating back here at the start of the summer. If your parents don't want to leave, I'm sure Bill can help ward their house. It'll be as safe as he can make it," he promised, feeling her pain right then.

Harry watched the two of them with a bit of a smile. He wondered if he needed to change his bet with the twins. With the way things were shaping up, it seemed like his bet of Christmas break of their 6th year was too late. "What about you, Ron?" Harry asked, picking up a stone and skipping it across the lake. It was something that Hagrid had taught him a while back.

"I'm not sure. Mum and Dad are glad that the older two are back into the area. We're just worried about Percy right now," he finished with a dark scowl.

Harry fought one of his own. "What's going on with him right now?"

"I have no idea. I got an owl from him during Christmas, basically telling me that I needed to start listening to Fudge, and break ties with you and Dumbledore. I didn't bother to reply to it, and I don't think he expected me to."

Harry felt for his friend. He didn't have much blood family anymore, and couldn't imagine what it felt like to have them turn your backs on you. "Think he'll come around now?" He left it unsaid that he meant Hogsmeade.

Ron considered as he scuffed his feet along the trail. "I don't know. I hope so. Fudge is going to get some backlash from all of this. I mean, quite a few of those Death Eaters that were arrested were the ones that bought their way out of justice fifteen years ago. That's not going to look to great for him."

Harry nodded in understanding. Hermione picked up the conversation, talking about a few of the laws that she had looked up over the past few days, and how she thought the trials would go. Harry tried to follow her words, but his mind was wandering. He had quite a bit on his mind lately, and had no idea of where to start getting it figured out. Sirius was going to be giving him his first lesson in the Goblin language that night after supper, so he would try and get some of this figured out then.

His friends seemed to realize that he had a lot on his mind, so they switched to simpler topics. They all had a lot to think about, which was why most of that afternoon was spent in silence as they tried to think through their own issues.

They returned to the castle for dinner, which flew by, and before he knew it, Harry was knocking on Sirius's door.

"Come in," Sirius called, and nodded when Harry walked in. "Have a seat, kiddo," he said, coming around the desk to sit next to him.

"How's it going?" Harry asked, eyeing the never ending stack of papers on the desk.

"Busy," Sirius said with a sigh. "I feel bad for giving Minerva so much trouble over the years; I never realized just how much work she had to do."

Harry chuckled. "Do you really feel bad for creating so much mayhem with the Marauders?"

Sirius allowed a grin and inclined his head. "Granted. Still, though, this is a lot, and I don't know how she does it. Of course, this is always a crazy time for teachers, with so much to grade, and very little time to do it."

Harry felt bad. "We don't have to do this tonight, you know. I can just read the books, and we can start when we go home for the summer…"

"Stop," Sirius said firmly. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you that you come first, but I don't mind repeating it. Before we start with that, anything you want to talk about?"

Harry nodded, and told him about his frustrations with so many people wanting him to teach them various things, but there wasn't much time before the end of term. "We have less than a week before summer, and no one can use magic until fall term."

"Actually, that might not be true," Sirius interrupted.

Harry cocked his head slightly in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I've been working with a few other parents who are quite concerned about that very fact. This is a time where we need to be encouraging our kids to practice, learn to defend themselves. So, we're going to try and push a law through the Wizengamot that says that anyone who has passed their fourth year exams can use magic in the presence of an adult wizard."

Harry thought about that. "It does open the door to being abused. After all, it could mean that Malfoy can join his daddy's friends on the raids, but I agree. It could make things a lot easier for the vast majority of students that want to learn and help during the war." He paused, thinking about something else.

Sirius caught onto it. "What's up?"

Harry hesitated slightly, wondering what the reaction would be to his next request. "I have a meeting with the beginner DA tomorrow between lunch and dinner. After that, I was thinking about testing Ron and Hermione's Occlumency again. They've been doing really well with me lately, but I was wondering…" Harry took a breath to keep from rambling. "Would you test them for me? If they're ready, I'd like to tell them a few things before summer starts."

Sirius sat back, thinking about that. It was true, that Harry needed to talk to Ron and Hermione about a few things. He was proud of Harry for going through the necessary precautions on this. "That sounds like a smart idea. Where would you like to do this?"

Harry sagged in relief slightly. "I'll use the Room of Requirement after dinner. I'll have the Map and my Cloak in case our conversation lasts after curfew."

"Don't worry about that. They're both prefects. I'll make sure that you don't get in trouble if you're with them," Sirius replied. Then he grew more serious. "Are you ready? You've been keeping quite a few things from them for a while now. You telling them everything?"

Harry took a steadying breath. "I need to. I'll tell them about Shadowpaw, the prophecy, and the Horcruxes. They'll be able to decide whether or not they want to keep following me after they know everything. I just needed to wait for exams, and for them to have better shields, just in case."

Sirius nodded. "Harry, they've followed you through everything. This won't change their minds."

"Let's hope not."

* * *

**Bit of a cliffie, but not as bad as a few that I've had before. Yes, Harry will finally be able to tell Ron and Hermione about quite a few things. I always had known that he would them eventually, because no, he doesn't _want_ to, but he feels that he needs was another thing that I never understood with canon; Harry went through hell with the forced Occlumency lessons, and when it becomes well known that he's pants at it, Dumbledore tells him the prophecy, tells him that he can tell Ron and Hermione who don't know anything about the art, and then tells him all about the Horcruxes. Rather inconsistent, in my opinion.  
**

**I've had a few people commenting about how Harry seems to be handling things too well. He's suppressing it right now; he needs to brood over it for a while first. Everything will come out later, but he's growing, and hardening. **


	39. Chapter 39

**Meant to have this up earlier, so my apologies. My C4 vertebra was out of alignment, and I couldn't move my neck to the left at all. I've had two weeks of physical therapy to try and correct it. Not fun when you're also trying to keep up in summer classes. :-(**

* * *

The following morning, Harry woke with a groan. Sirius had worked him hard on his language lesson. He didn't have long to learn if he wanted to have this down by his ceremony, so Sirius was the slave driver.

He got up and grabbed his running outfit before hurrying to the Entrance Hall. He truthfully wasn't surprised to see that, in addition to the half a dozen that had been with him for a while, there were nearly another 10 waiting there. He nodded, and, rather than go around the pitch like usual, he lead them around the lake, for a change in scenery. Several were huffing and puffing by the end, but Harry was feeling much better.

They went to shower and change, and Harry went to the Great Hall for breakfast. He decided to sit with the Slytherins, though he made sure to stay far away from Draco. Blaise joined him, and they decided to brew for a while.

That time, unsurprisingly, passed quickly. The two really didn't talk much, but rather spent several hours preparing ingredients, brewing, and cleaning. It was busy work, as neither really worked on anything challenging, though they enjoyed the time immensely. When they were finished, bagging their finished products, they sat down.

"So, the other day, you wanted to talk with me. I'm going to guess here," Harry said with a smile, "you want talk about potions that could be useful for the war."

Blaise grinned. "You've gotten that a few times already?"

"Anyone that I've worked with this year wants to talk about it," Harry told him. "What did you have in mind?"

Blaise brought out a parchment, where he'd written down a few potions that he'd been looking at, and wondered what Harry thought. There was an Invigorating Draught, Polyjuice Potion, Strengthening Solution, and Felix Felicis. "Not bad," Harry said, looking over the recipes. "They're all dangerously tricky, from what I've heard, but I think we can make it work. Not sure if we'll have time to brew any before we go back, but we'll both research quite a bit this summer, I'm sure."

Blaise agreed, and they made their way back up to the Hall for lunch.

As soon as everyone had finished eating, Harry, Hermione, and Ron quickly made their way to the Transfiguration room for the beginner DA. Harry went over Hermione's ideas, and quickly agreed. She was going to try and teach the Patronus for most of the lesson, and then have everyone review. There was a reason Harry was making this lesson longer than the usual ones. He would have the more advanced DA lesson on Friday at the same time, and then meet with both of them together for a bit on Saturday after dinner.

Harry was glad that he'd thought ahead and had Ron and Hermione working with the usual students, because 24 more showed up, wanting to learn before going home. Harry had them all sign the parchement, and nearly cursed four out of the room when the parchment glowed, refusing to let them sign.

"I don't know what the hell you were thinking, trying to get into this class. But get the hell out of here right now," Harry ordered them, making a note of their names, and was going to tell Dumbledore first thing about this incident.

The students quickly scattered at the look of pure hate on Harry's face, and the room was silent as Harry jotted a quick note with a list of names. He went to the window, and was pleased to see Hedwig flying towards him. She always was a smart owl. "Get this to Dumbledore as quick as you can, girl," he whispered. She flew off, and Harry turned back to the students. "Go ahead," he told his friends, and went to the other side of the room with the newer ones. "Alright, we're going to start at the same place that I did with the rest of them," he said, ignoring the groans.

Things moved quickly after that. He had to try and keep his student's minds on their work when there was mist floating around the room, and Harry really wanted to see how the rest of his students were doing with such an advanced charm, but he forced himself to stay focused.

The vast majority of the newer students advanced quickly, and were done with all the work through fourth year, so Harry let them join the rest of them with the Patronus charm. When the hour chime before dinner chimed, Hermione had all of the regular students reviewing, while Harry continued working with the others on the Patronus. Only a handful were able to produce a corporeal Patronus, but Harry was quite pleased with their work.

During dinner, Harry was almost too nervous to eat, though Hermione kept after him, nagging him to eat. He had asked both of them to join him in the Room after dinner, and they had quickly agreed.

Even Ron passed on seconds, and the three of them made their way to the Room, and Harry had it turn into the comfortable room that he preferred when reading, rather than the training room. "Come on," he waved to the other two, and they went in. Before Harry could say anything, the door opened, and Sirius walked inside.

"Hey, kiddo," he greeted, before turning to Ron and Hermione, who just looked confused, so he turned back to Harry. "You haven't told them yet?"

"Told us what?" Hermione asked, gaze flickering between the two.

Harry rubbed his hand over his face. He was so tired from the past week, and this night was going to drain him, he knew. "I'm going to have Sirius test your Occlumency," he told them, and nodded when their eyes widened. "You've both been doing great with me, but Sirius is better at Legilimency. If you can handle his attacks, then we have a few things to talk about."

Ron stared at his friend, who just looked worn. His resolve hardened. "Sounds good," he said firmly, Hermione nodding next to him.

Harry shrugged, then looked at Sirius. "I'm going to wait outside so that I'm not distracting them." He knew that this was enough pressure for them right now, and while they might need to be able to focus on their shields amidst other distractions, he wasn't going to put them through the wringer for this one.

"Sounds good," Sirius said, and drew his wand, waiting until the door had closed behind Harry. "You two ready for this?" he asked.

They both swallowed thickly, but nodded. Hermione stepped forward. "I'll go first."

Sirius nodded, and didn't give any warning. "Legilimence," he shouted, blasting in as strongly as he could. He was willing to help Harry, but that meant that he was going to make sure his son's secrets could stay secret.

He was met with a brick wall so strong that it hurt to hit it. He hunted around for any kind of weakness, but couldn't find anything. He tried casting the spell again, and nearly broke through it, but it held firmly. He pulled back out.

"Impressive," he complimented.

"Again," Hermione ordered, her face clenched. "Death Eaters won't stop at only twice if they want to know something."

NOW Sirius was impressed. "Very well." He cast the spell another three times, each time getting closer to entering her mind, but he was never able to. "You're good," he told her.

She wavered slightly on her feet, but Ron steadied her. "Thanks, professor," she told him, with a slight glint in her eyes.

Sirius rolled his, as he wasn't used to that just yet, but waved to her to sit in one of the armchairs. She sat down, rubbing her temples. Sirius idly hoped that Harry brought a few headache relief potions for his friends. They would need it.

"You ready?" he asked Ron, who just nodded, looking slightly green.

This was something that Sirius wasn't used to. Redirection was trickier than simple shields, for several reasons. When he cast the spell, he found himself inside the Burrow, during a family dinner with all of the kids. He hunted around for stray memories, or anything that he could use to get to real memories, but couldn't find anything. He pulled out, and didn't bother waiting for Ron to tell him to continue, but cast again. He could feel a few emotions that he knew had nothing to do with the images that he was seeing, but could never get Ron off of the memories that he was forcing Sirius to witness.

"Very good!" he exclaimed, pulling out after the fourth try, and Ron fell to his knees. Hermione rushed over, and helped him up.

"So, you think we passed?" Ron asked when he was seated in one of the chairs.

"You did," Sirius told him, and glanced towards the door. "Before I go get him, I just wanted to thank the two of you."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Not many people are willing to learn difficult arts in the name of friendship, so it means a lot, both to Harry, and by extension to me as well, that you are doing this."

Ron was the one to answer. "You and James learned to be Animagi for Professor Lupin when you were our age," he pointed out. "I know Harry isn't always confident in people standing by him, but he's not getting rid of us that easily."

Hermione nodded vehemently next to him, and Sirius felt his throat tighten. If he was ever reminded of his own school days, it was moments like this. "Well, then I'll go and get him." He paused when he stood, and hesitated for a moment before turning back to the two. "If you two need someone to talk to about tonight, you know that my door is always open."

Without waiting for a response to his cryptic comment, he walked out the door. He found Harry, leaning against the tapestry, his eyes trained on the wall, though Sirius could tell that he was meditating. "Well?" Harry asked, moving around a bit, as his legs had fallen asleep on the stone floor.

"They're good. Probably better than you were at the end of the summer," Sirius told him truthfully.

Harry controlled his expression, and gave his father a hug. "Thank you for doing that. I just had to be sure."

"No worries. I told them, and I'll tell you as well: if you need me tonight, you know where to find me," he reminded.

Harry forced a grin. "I think I remember the way," he replied, and took a steadying breath before forcing himself to head into the Room again, leaving Sirius to head back to his office.

He saw Ron and Hermione sitting on two of the armchairs, both rubbing their heads. He pulled two vials from him robe, and passed them over. "Thank you. Thank you for doing that," he elaborated. "I know it might seem like I'm being overly cautious, but I had to be sure."

"We understand, Harry," Hermione said. "Where did you want to start?"

Harry had already thought about that, and decided to start with something simple. Well, simple as far as the rest of his bombshells were concerned. He stood. "We'll start with this," he told them, and transformed into Paws.

Hermione shrieked, standing up, and Ron froze. Paws trotted over to the two of them, and sat down, whining slightly. It was the first time he'd felt lonely near them, but he wasn't sure about their reactions.

Hermione was the first to react, and she slowly walked over and started petting him, nodding when she saw his scar and eyes. "Makes sense," she muttered.

Harry transformed back, and gave her a look. "What does?" he asked as he took his seat again.

"The fact that you've been sleeping in after a few of the full moons. I take it you've been keeping our favorite werewolf company at the Shack?"

Harry forced a chuckle. "Yeah, though the first one was an accident." He turned to Ron, who was still gaping at him.

"When did you learn?" the redhead finally asked.

"I found out my form on my birthday," Harry told him, fiddling with his hands. He told them how he had really escaped from Malfoy during the summer, and how hard he'd been working on it during the year.

"Think we could learn?" Ron asked, and Hermione nodded quickly.

"It would be great!" she responded, enthused.

Harry chuckled. "Another difficult art? Careful, Ron, or you'll be the one acting like Hermione next."

Ron chuckled. "Well, that's something that we can talk about later. I'm guessing that you didn't want us here just to tell us about that."

"Wait," Hermione said, eyes sparkling. "Did you get a nickname?" she asked.

"Shadowpaw. Paws for short," Harry told her, and then turned back to Ron. "No, there's a few more things. This was just the easiest to talk about."

That turned the mood somber again, and they waited patiently while Harry got his thoughts in order again.

"After the attack on your father," he started, nodding towards Ron, "I found out a few things. Well, just one, but it's huge, and it explains a lot. If you want out after I tell you about this, I won't stop you."

Hermione looked at Harry's deathly pale face, and the fear he tried so desperately to hide, and kept her voice steady. "How about you have a little faith in us, and just tell us what you need to," she suggested.

Harry's head snapped up to look at her at that, and he nodded when he saw her resolve, and the same look on Ron's face. "There was a prophecy that was made before I was born," he started, and saw Hermione start to roll her eyes. "It was Trelawny that made it, but Dumbledore was the one that witnessed it. It was her second true prophecy."

"What did it say?" Ron asked, giving Hermione a second to adjust to the idea of another true prophecy.

Harry had the words memorized from the moment he heard them. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who will thrice defy him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have powers the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives… The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…."

He trailed to a stop to let the words sink in. After two minutes (he counted the seconds), Ron broke the silence.

"You're the one that has to kill him in the end?" he clarified, and watched as Harry nodded mutely.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione breathed. "No wonder you've been working yourself to the bone this year!"

Harry nodded. "I've been working with Sirius a lot, and partly with Dumbledore ever since spring break. Which brings me to the third and last revelation for the evening."

Ron exhaled loudly. "There's more?" he demanded, then let out an involuntary laugh. "Go ahead."

Harry told them about Headquarters, which Ron was aware of, since his parents went there for the meetings, though he had never gone with them. He explained about finding the locket, and that Sirius took it to Dumbledore. "I went to his office after the Quidditch Final, and he told me what it was." He took another breath, waiting for the explosion. "It's called a Horcrux."

"What's that?" Hermione asked, confused.

"It's an object that can store part of someone's soul," Harry told them, and nodded at their expressions. He seemed to be doing a lot of that this evening. "Turns out old Voldy decided to shred his soul into seven pieces and keep them hidden all over the place. So, that means we need to find and destroy them before the final battle."

Complete silence met his words again as the other two tried to assimilate everything he'd told them. Hermione looked terrified, but her mind was spinning quickly. Ron looked horrified, as he knew that soul magic was one of the darkest ones.

Hermione remembered something. "That day," she thought aloud, eyes planted firmly on Harry. "The day that you were upset about something, you said you couldn't tell us yet. You said you had to face your fears. Was that…"

Harry nodded at her. "Yeah, I had to destroy the locket, and the piece of his soul decided to scare the crap out of me to try and get me to not do it. Turns out that's the second one that I've destroyed. The diary in second year was one, too."

Ron stood, paling. "Wait. Ginny! Was she…" He looked like he was a second from leaving the room to find her, and not let her go until he was satisfied that she was alright.

Harry didn't know what to say. It was horrifying, that much was for sure. "As soon as it was destroyed, she was fine," he said lamely, knowing that it didn't mean much.

Ron still looked sickened, but he sat back down. "Where are the rest?"

Harry shrugged. "Dumbledore and Sirius are working on that. Turns out the sword is the best way of destroying one. Sirius took care of another not long after I did the locket. It was Voldy's family's house, he found it when he and Dumbledore searched the house."

"So, three down?" Hermione double-checked.

"Yep."

She sagged into her seat. "I can see why you didn't want us to know about this before we learned Occlumency," she told him.

Ron looked at Harry, trying to get over his shock. He could tell that his messy haired friend was still worried, so he decided to lay that to rest. "Potter, we aren't leaving you," he said shortly. "Yeah, it's a shock to learn that V-Voldemort isn't going to leave you alone, and that you are the only one who can kill him. But come on, you've fought him so much, I kind of figured he wouldn't stop trying to off you."

Hermione agreed. "I thought that it was an ego thing, but this makes so much more sense. Can you tell me it again?" she asked, and listened as he recited it. She quickly wrote it down on a piece of parchment, and then studied it, mumbling to herself. "Any idea what the 'power that he knows not' is?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, I have no clue. I mean, he has ten times the experience that I do, so I'm not sure what I could know that he doesn't."

Hermione looked it over again, before setting it alight with a flick of her wand. She knew better than to let anyone else see it. "So, who else knows about all of this?"

"Sirius and Remus know about the prophecy, the Horcuxes, and Paws. I think Dumbledore knows about Paws, too, but just because he knows about everything else. I haven't told anyone else yet."

"Not even Brianna?" Ron asked.

"First of all, there's no way I would tell her before you guys," Harry told him quickly. Then he shook his head. "I care about her, but I've only known her for a few months. Not nearly long enough to tell her any of this. Even if she has the strongest Occlumency shield in the world, this is way too personal to talk about just yet." He sighed. "I'll have to tell her eventually, but not for a bit longer."

Hermione and Ron nodded at his logic. Ron studied his friend for a minute, seeing again how much older, and how worn he looked. "You really have been living with this weight, haven't you?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't really have a choice in the matter, do I?" he asked, then thought of something else he could tell them. Really, he could have mentioned it before, but there had never really been a need for it. He pulled his mother's potions journal from his bag, and handed it over after flipping to the right page.

Hermione was the first to gasp. "Harry! If you can make this work, this could do so much good!"

Harry nodded. "Exactly. The problem is that it's so ridiculously advanced that I don't know if I could do it in time to make a difference."

She looked it over again, then turned back to Harry. "I think my parents could get some liquid oxygen," she offered seriously. "I mean, they are dentists, but I think they can get some for work, if I explain this to them."

Harry sighed in relief. That was one of the harder ingredients for him to get a hold of. "Thank you," he said, accepting the book back. He placed it back into his bag, and looked at his friends. To be honest, things had gone so much easier for him than he thought they would. He opened his mouth, and then realized he had no idea what to say.

Hermione solved the problem for him, and grabbed him in a hug. She could feel him shaking, so she just held him a bit tighter. Ron joined her a beat later, and they had a small group hug. The first that they'd had in a while. They found that no words needed to be said for them. They would stay with him through this, and that was enough for him right then.

* * *

The next morning, Harry woke up, and for the first time in a while, he smiled. He couldn't believe that he'd shared so much with them. Yeah, he'd always planned on it, but he had been feeling as though he'd been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, and now he had two more people to help him carry the load.

He met the large group of people for their morning run before heading to breakfast. Blaise and Theo caught his eye, and motioned that they wanted to speak with him after the morning meal. He gave a fraction of a nod, and then did the same with Sirius, who also nodded.

When Harry was finished eating, he met the two Slytherins in the Potions classroom, and Harry quickly warded it. "What's up?" he asked, already having a pretty good idea.

Theo was the one that answered. "We'd both like to take you and Professor Black up on your offer," he said seriously.

"I talked with my father," Blaise continued, "and he's willing to let both of us move in with him. He needs another week to get things ready, though. He wanted to know if there was a safe place that the two of us could stay until he finished."

Harry nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't have offered if I didn't mean it. I'll talk with my father today, and we'll get things figured out. I'm sure you don't want everyone to know that you're staying with us, so we'll figure something out. Maybe we can give you a portkey, or you might be able to just Floo there. I'll figure something out," he promised.

The two just nodded at him, before quickly making their leave. It went against their pride to even ask, but their Slytherin sense of self preservation had won out, even if it was only for a moment.

Harry stayed in the classroom, thinking through things. Floo powder was probably the least conspicuous, but he would talk it over with Sirius.

"That was a good thing you did," a voice said from the shadows.

Harry stood and whipped his wand out, a Stunning spell cast before he could stop himself.

Snape blocked the spell with one of his own, and stepped into the light, smirking. "Reflexes aren't bad, Potter. Next time you want to have a private conversation, don't just ward the room. Check to make sure it's empty first."

Harry growled in his throat, lowering his wand. "I'll keep that in mind. You were listening?"

Snape settled into one of the desks, and Harry spared a thought that it looked rather amusing, before forcing his mind back on topic. "Of course I was. I look out for my students, regardless of what people might think of me." He studied the youth for a moment. "How is your intellectual exercise coming along?" he inquired.

Harry hid his confusion. Not even four months ago, he was sure that the professor in front of him hated his guts with a burning, fiery passion, and now he's making small talk? "Still just intellectual. Some ingredients I've never even heard of, as well as some methods. I've looked at a few others by… the same potioneer, but it's the same. They're all just too advanced, and I have no way of getting some of the ingredients."

Snape considered commenting, telling the boy that he knew that the potioneer was his mother, but held his tongue. "What ingredients have you not heard of, or can obtain?"

"I can't think of where I can get gryphon claw, or Thestral blood. I know where I could get the Basilisk blood, but I can't…"

"What?" Snape demanded, rising.

Harry could have cursed himself right then for his stupidity. How on earth could he have let that slip, and in front of Snape of all people? "It's nothing," he lied. "I know of an apothecary that carries it, though it's quite expensive."

Snape looked at him for a moment. "Nice try, and I have to say, your lying skills are improving. Now, what were you talking about?"

Harry groaned and leaned against one of the chairs. "Do you remember, three years ago? All of the attacks that happened, and how Ron and I rescued Ginny?"

Snape leaned forward. There were a lot of unanswered questions about that year, and he was hoping that he would get a few answers. "Of course I do. Unlike some, I actually use my intellect on occasion."

Harry ignored the gibe, and continued. "Well, it turns out that there's a giant basilisk in the school. Well, there was," he said, taking in Snape's widened gaze. "I killed it that day. I've been trying to think of a way to harvest it, but I have no idea how to do that."

Snape could count on one hand the number of times he'd been struck speechless, and this was one of them. He took a moment to collect himself, before speaking. "You killed a basilisk. At age twelve."

Harry nodded, understanding the shock. If anyone else had made that claim, he would have doubted it himself. "I did," he confirmed.

"You found the Chamber, slew the basilisk, which had to be quite old, and therefore quite large, and rescued the sister of your friend," Snape clarified, and was rewarded with another nod. "How did you get through that unscathed?" he demanded, and his eyes narrowed when the boy flinched.

"Well, it wasn't completely unscathed," Harry muttered. He saw the look, and shrugged. "It bit me. Fawkes was there, though, and healed me before I could die."

Snape was cursing himself ten kinds of fool. He had sworn to protect Lily's child, and yet again, he'd nearly died under his very nose. He clearly needed to keep a closer eye on the brat. And there was a way that he could gain a pinch of trust. "I have some experience harvesting animals, as a Potions Master. How about a deal?"

Harry tried not to look surprised, and considered it. "If I take you to it, and you help me harvest it, you can keep 15% of it," he bargained. Sirius had taught him the great art of bartering over the summer.

Snape smirked. "Not for anything less than 40%," he countered.

"25%."

"30%."

"Done," Harry agreed. He figured he was lucky to still get the majority of it, considering Snape was bringing the expertise.

Snape grinned, and it was a rather frightening expression. "I need time to get the materials ready for this little adventure. It will likely take two days to harvest it, depending on the size of the thing. Meet me here today after lunch, and we'll get started." With that said, he strode out of the room, headed straight for his office. He would give himself a few minutes to freak out, thinking about a twelve year old slaying a basilisk, and then he would frantically try and get together everything he needed, as well as refresh his memory on harvesting potentially lethal parts. It was going to be a long morning.

Harry, meanwhile, made his way to Sirius's office. He knocked lightly on the door, and was called in.

"Hey, kiddo," Sirius said, quickly standing, dropping the quill, and coming around the desk. "Have a seat. How did last night go?"

Harry sat down hard. It seemed like everyday was something big happening, and he was struggling to keep up. "They took everything really well," he said vaguely, always tentative when it came to details. "I thought Ron was going to sick up when I told him what the diary had been. He nearly tore out of the room to check on Ginny."

Sirius nodded. "That's understandable. But they took everything else as well as you'd been hoping?"

Harry nodded. "They did better, actually. Though this morning, I had a few interesting conversations," he started, and saw Sirius sit forward slightly. "Blaise talked to his father, who said that he and Theo can stay there, but he needs a week to get things set up, and so the two of them need a place to stay for the first week of the summer."

Sirius nodded. "I kind of figured as much. I'll send Manuel an owl today and let him know that the two of them will be staying with us."

Harry nodded in thanks. "I was thinking of maybe giving each of them some Floo powder? That way they can go straight to our house when we get to Kings Cross, without worrying about being seen with us by any other Slytherins."

He considered that, and nodded approvingly. "That's a good idea. Don't court trouble unless you have to. Now, what was the other interesting conversation?" he asked, seeing that there was more.

Harry hesitated. He wasn't sure how to go about talking through this, and he hoped that Sirius was going to be reasonable. "Snape overheard me talking with the other two, and he and I actually talked again today."

Sirius sat back slightly, shocked. "Okay."

"He asked about that potion, and we talked about a few other things, and I kind of accidentally let it slip that I knew where a basilisk was, but that I had no idea how to harvest it. He offered to help me with that today and tomorrow, on the condition that he gets 30% of it when we're done."

Sirius thought through that, his hand running over his beard as he considered. It wasn't that he was still harboring a childhood grudge against the man. After all, Severus had been the one to help heal Harry over the summer, so he knew that the man must still be on their side. He wished that he could go with them, but he still had a lot of catching up to do. "You will come and find me the minute you are finished in the Chamber," he said severely.

Harry was surprised that Sirius wasn't going to kick up a fuss about it, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, and nodded. "Of course. He said it would take two days, depending on how big it is, and we're going to start today after lunch. He needed some time to get things together."

"Makes sense." Sirius rubbed his temples. He wished he could take a headache potion, but he needed to be careful, or he would begin to develop a resistance to it. "We should probably change the subject before I start scrounging up the firewhiskey."

Harry raised a brow in amusement. "Sirius, it isn't even 10 in the morning."

Sirius lowered his hands and glared at his son. "Exactly. What's your point?"

Harry chuckled, and looked around. "Want to have another language lesson?" he suggested.

Sirius decided that was probably the best idea, and he grabbed the books on the goblin language that he had been using with Harry the past few days. "Alright, where did we leave off?"

They stayed there until lunch, because Harry knew that it would be a while before they could spend that time together again. Harry quickly made his way to the Great Hall again, and sat with the Hufflepuffs. He, Hermione, Susan, and Hannah had a conversation on Arithmancy, with the latter three talking about the OWL, and Harry desperately trying not to think about the fact that he had very little idea as to what they were talking about.

When they were finished, Harry told Hermione that he had something to do, and he would explain it later that night when he returned to the Tower. She looked confused, but nodded, understanding that he couldn't tell her in the middle of the Great Hall.

He tore out of there with his bag, where he was keeping his dragon hide gloves (just in case he needed them), the cloak, the Map, and made sure that he had both of his portkeys. Sure, Snape seemed to be a bit different than he had before, but Harry understood the importance of a bit of paranoia.

Without wasting any time, he made his way to the dungeons, and to Snape's office. He rapped his knuckles against the wood, and was rewarded with it opening almost immediately.

"Let's go," Snape said, hefting a large bag over his shoulders.

"Why didn't you just shrink the things you needed?" Harry asked, eyeing the bag. "Not exactly inconspicuous, you know."

"Stupid boy," Snape snarled quietly. "We can't shrink everything, though I did some of the tools. The boxes have so much magic in them for the parts that if I tried to shrink them, they'd either not work, or they'd blow up."

"Huh," Harry muttered, thinking it through. He thought he understood, and he did, at least theoretically. It was another thing that he would look into over the summer.

"Where the hell are we going?" the professor finally demanded, when they were only feet away from the correct room.

"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," Harry replied, trying hard to hide a grin, and thinking that he was failing miserably. "This is where the entrance to the Chamber is." He thought for a minute. "Actually, there's probably another one somewhere in the castle, because when we needed to get out, Fawkes took us," he remembered, entering the room.

Snape thought about that, wondering what the boy meant, but whatever he was about to say was interrupted by the ghost.

"There you are," she whined. "It's been so long since you've been here!"

"Sorry," Harry said shortly.

Snape was smirking, as he saw the blush on Potter's face. "Something you want to tell me?"

"No," Harry stated as he stifled a groan, and went over to the sink. Thinking about it, he decided that practicing his parseltongue was another thing that he could work on over the summer, since it had been so long since he'd used it. He found the engraved snake, and moved his head back and forth a bit to make it seem alive.

"_Open_," he hissed, and heard Snape startle a bit at the sound. Harry stepped back a bit, pulling Snape back as well as the sink started moving as it turned into the entrance.

"Dear Merlin," Snape whispered. No wonder none of the teachers ever found this throughout the centuries! For one, it was in a girl's toilet, and it required a magic that few if none had.

"Let's go," Harry said, crouching down and positioning himself at the start of the slide. He cast a quick spell on his robes to keep them from picking up all of the slime in the tunnel, and pushed himself forward.

He enjoyed the ride this time, as he wasn't headed into certain death (as he'd thought last time). He reached the bottom with an audible "Umph!" and picked himself up. He spotted the shed skin that was laying out, and wondered if it was possible to use any of that. He'd wait for Snape to decide.

Speaking of the devil, the man exited the tunnel much more gracefully than Harry had. It seemed that he had used a spell to control the speed he went at, and was able to stop before being thrown out. He stood, and spotted Harry. "That was disgusting," he stated, and looked around. His eyes spotted the skin, and he was already thinking about the value, but he also saw the looks of a cave in, and a tiny hole that was dug through. "What happened here?"

Harry was struggling against the memories. That was certainly not one of his favorites, he knew that for sure. "Lockhart tried to use a memory charm on Ron and me," Harry told him tonelessly. "It backfired, and we were separated by the cave in. Ron dug a way out for me and Ginny when we came back while I went into the Chamber to get her."

Snape could tell that there was more to the story, but he wasn't about to ask for details. Just those two sentences explained enough. He nodded curtly, and dropped his bag. "We might as well start here before we move on to the Chamber," he stated, and saw Potter nod. He took his wand out first, and cast a quick spell. It wouldn't mess up anything, but it made it clear how much was his and how much was Potter's. A clear line of red light showed where he should start the divide, and he pulled out the knife.

Dead skin wasn't as useful as what they would find in the Chamber, still attached to the corpse, but it was indeed a potion ingredient. Not that he thought the brat would know any of that. It was a shame Potter was getting most of this, because he certainly didn't deserve it. Attention seeking brat.

Harry positioned himself to the side, watching the Potions Master work, drinking everything in. Chances were that he wasn't going to need to know everything that he saw, but it was interesting, and there was always the chance that he would need to know how to do this himself at a later date.

After three quarters of an hour, Snape leaned back and caught his eyes. "Are you going to help, or just stand there?" he demanded.

Harry bit back a sharp retort. "I didn't know what you wanted me to do."

Snape just scoffed. "Did you at least bring gloves?" he asked. Potter nodded, and pulled out the dragon hide gloves from his bag. "Very well. Take the larger pile," he instructed, pointing to the stripes he'd already sliced, "and _gently_ put them in that box there. Once you're done, put the lid back on, and tap the Rune with your wand."

Harry did as instructed. He was careful with the skin as he packed it up, and then put the lid on it. He studied the Runes that were carved into it. He knew that his grasp of Runes was fairly good (for his age, at least), but he didn't know half of the ones that were there. He could recognize the one for stasis, waterproof, fireproof, and basic spell damage. Those were the only ones he knew, and there were several others that he had never seen before. "Which one do I tap?" he asked, pulling his wand out from his wrist holster with a quick flick.

"The center one; it'll power the rest," was the distracted answer.

Harry focused his magic. He'd read about powering Runes, but he'd never actually done it. He gathered up his magic, and fed it into his wand, which he tapped on the box. The Rune glowed, and the glow spread to the rest of them. The magic was nearly tangible at that point, and Harry loved the feeling.

Snape had just finished with his own, and took the box from Harry, putting it into the bag. "Alright, where do we go from here?"

Harry lead the way through the tiny hole in the rocks, and waited patiently for Snape to manage it as well. Then he lead him through the halls until they got to the next door. "_Open,_" he commanded, and he assumed Snape had been prepared that time, and he waited for the door to open again. "Here we go," he breathed, not looking forward to this.

Snape followed the boy into the Chamber, and felt like his heart was going to burst. He'd dreamed of finding Salazar's Chamber his entire life, but had never thought it would happen. He was drinking in the sight, memorizing every detail. Those thoughts, though, were driven out of his mind when he spotted the giant snake. The beast must have been at least 60 feet long, and had only just started decomposing. He walked up to it, making sure that his gloves stayed on, and first examined the mouth. Sure enough, there was a hole in the roof of the mouth, and a single fang missing. He looked at the head from every angle, and then looked up, ready to bark out orders to Potter so that they could begin, but his words died in his mouth when he saw the boy.

Potter was standing over what appeared to be a mix of ink and blood, with a single fang laying on the ground. Soot marks covered a spot about two feet from the fang. He was pale white, and his face was dangerously blank, as though he was fighting to keep it that way.

Not wanting to deal with an over emotional teenage boy, Snape decided to snap the kid out of it. "Potter, enough time in dreamland. You are going to be helping me with this," he snapped, and saw him start.

"Of course," Harry muttered, looking at the spot one last time before forcing his legs to move over to the snake.

"Do you know the Severing Curse?" Snape asked.

Harry shook his head. "I know the Cutting charm, and the Slicing Curse."

"Very well." Snape quickly taught the boy the Severing Curse. "It's much more powerful than the other two, and you will need to use it today. Harvesting is a matter of knowing what to use, and when. I will be having you gather the fangs and the tongue while I start at the tail. Sever the teeth from the gums. Use the Slicing Curse for the tongue," he ordered.

Harry nodded in understanding, and Snape went to the other side of the Basilisk. Harry took a moment to steady his heart rate and breathing. He was not wanting to deal with this part of the harvesting, having dealt with the thing's mouth in much more detail than he'd wanted already. He knew, though, that Snape wasn't going to let him get out of doing this, so he focused on the task, and just the task.

It wasn't as hard as he'd feared, to keep his mind busy. He was so worried about messing up, that he just kept his mind where it needed to be. Before he knew it, he had finished with all of the fangs, and was picking up the tongue. He turned around, and saw Snape coming towards him.

Snape cast the same spell to tell him how to divide them, and quickly did so. He and Harry packaged their individual amounts in silence. Snape had already dealt with the tail, and was starting on the next part: draining. Any of the blood that was remaining, which was more than expected, was being drained into vats that he'd put at various places around the cadaver. He'd punctured the body at several places to allow the fluids to drain. Not only could they keep the fluids that way, but they wouldn't get in the way during the rest of the harvesting.

"Alright Potter, next is to remove the skin. It's better to remove it all at once without cutting it, so that you can use it to create something, no matter how big it is, without needing to sew it, since it is so difficult to cut," Snape lectured.

Harry nodded. "I assume there's a spell that will take care of that?"

Snape just sneered at him. "Of course there is! How else to you think we would be able to do it?"

Harry just sighed. It got very tiring, dealing with Snape for extended periods of time. He watched as Snape twirled his wand several times, muttering a spell under his breath, and he could see the skin begin to detach from the Basilisk. It took a few minutes, until it slithered out, and landed a few feet from the corpse.

Snape staggered slightly, as the spell was rather advanced. He righted himself again, before he measured it, having the light appear, and quickly cut it. "Keep your gloves on," he instructed Potter. "The scales might still be a bit sharp. Fold it, and put it in the largest box."

Harry hurried to obey, and marvled at the feel of the skin. It was smooth, cool, and clearly quite strong. He wondered what he'd make with it. He powered the Runes again, and could tell that he would need a break soon. Harvesting was hard work, though Snape was still doing the majority of the work.

The professor appeared to agree with Harry's unspoken thoughts. "That will be all for the day, I think," he said. "When we get back up top, you can take those to that disgusting dog you call father. Make sure they are not trifled with, and they should go back to his hovel as soon as possible.

Harry bristled slightly. He was tired of all of the digs against Sirius, as Snape had never been anything but blunt about his abhorrence of Harry's adopted father. He knew that Snape was helping him with this project, but he was getting plenty out of it! "Are you ever going to get over what happened when you guys were in school together?" Harry demanded before he could stop himself.

Snape turned slowly to stare at the boy. Detentions and point deductions were on the tip of his tongue, and he was ever so tempted to use them. "Perhaps you don't remember what was said the night you met the mutt, so allow me to remind you. He is not squeaky clean, as you seem to think. He did, after all, try to kill me by using the wolf." Every word he spoke was dripping with venom.

Harry, however, didn't seem to be affected by it. He just scoffed and turned to pick up the boxes and place them back into the bag. "You know, Malfoy once was able to get me to leave the Tower after hours, for a duel, he claimed. It was the first few months of knowing I had magic, so I'll let myself slide for being so naïve. You, however, were in what? Fifth year? You knew that they hated you, and you hated them. And yet, you took Sirius's advice to go off grounds, in the middle of the night, to a dangerous tree, and find out what wasn't your business to begin with, by yourself. If Malfoy did the same thing to me, this year? When I'm as old as you were? I'd either ignore him completely, knowing that it was shady, or I'd bring back-up, Ron and Hermione at least, and take every precaution in the books to make sure it wasn't a trap." He finished packing things up and turned around to look at Snape. He couldn't help the look of disgust on his face, and in the back of his mind, he knew that he was treading on thin ice at the moment. "Was Sirius an idiot for trying to get you out there? Hell yes, he was, and he is well aware of that fact. But you need to realize that you were just as culpable as he was, and also the fact that it was twenty years ago."

Snape was close to foaming at the mouth by the time the brat was finished. "Fifty points from Gryffindor, Potter. How dare you speak to me like that!" He was seeing red, but knew that Potter was the only one that was able to get them out of the Chamber. "Now, if you don't want it to be a hundred points, you'll forget about this. Let's go," he snarled, and turned towards the exit.

Knowing that he'd gotten off easy, he followed, opening the door, and they made it to the slide again in complete silence. Snape drew his wand and cast a spell that propelled his body up the shoot with no effort. Harry nodded, having had the same idea, and quickly followed.

He was pleased to see that Myrtle wasn't there, as he wasn't in the mood to deal with her infatuation at the moment. He cleaned off his robes, accepted the boxes from Snape, who was still pale with anger, nodded at him, and made his way to Sirius's office.

Sirius wasn't in the office, and Harry realized that it was dinner time. Deciding that he really wasn't hungry, he placed the boxes behind the desk, and sat down. He had his last healing lesson with Pomfrey in an hour, though he just wanted to sleep. The past week had been so draining, and he was looking forward to the summer. Sure, he had already thought of a lot of things that he was going to be doing, but it would be nice to leave the castle for a few months, and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life here.

The door opened, and he jumped up to look over at the door. Sirius gave him a concerned look as he stepped inside. "Hey, kiddo, I didn't see you at dinner. Everything go alright with the Chamber?" he asked.

Harry sat back down. "Yeah. We have at least one more day to get the rest of it. What I got today are behind your desk. Any chance you could take them home before a student tries to get into it?"

Sirius sat down next to him, and looked him over. He took in the pale, pinched look in his face, the slumped shoulders, and the weary eyes. "You alright?" he asked lowly.

Harry sighed and raked a hand over his face. "I'm tired," he admitted quietly.

"I take it you don't mean something that can be fixed by a quick nap," Sirius stated, and Harry shook his head. "Is there anything I can do?"

Harry slid back in the chair until his head was resting on the back and closed his eyes. Anything he could say right then would sound childish. He knew that if he let himself go now, he would have that much a harder time later when he needed to be stoic. He shook his head. "I'll be fine."

Sirius gritted his teeth, but silently. He thought he'd broken Harry from the habit of using that cursed phrase, but apparently not. He snapped his fingers, summoning a house elf, and ordered a light dinner for Harry. He knew that after a rough day with Snape, he'd need it.

Harry grumbled again about mother hens, but he ate the salad and soup that was brought, and enjoyed a light conversation with Sirius before heading to the Infirmary.

Pomfrey gave him a quick lesson in basic spell damage from specific curses, and then spent some time reviewing. It was very similar to the last DA meeting he'd had with the beginners.

When she called the lesson to a close, he surprised her by giving her a quick hug. "Thank you for everything you've taught me this year."

She smiled at him. "Of course. I was happy to teach you."

Harry pulled the list out of his robes, and handed it to her, watching as she examined it. "I suppose you know now that I've been teaching Clare and Daphne healing for a while. Well, a few others approached them, asking for lessons. I'm already slammed, and Clare and Daphne aren't really far enough to be teaching them themselves. I was wondering if there was anything you could do?"

Pomfrey thought about it. "I'll give it some thought. They probably know already that I wouldn't be able to help them before everyone goes home, so I'll figure something out. As for this summer, I will have work for you to do."

Harry perked up a bit at that. He hadn't thought much about healing during the summer. He accepted the parchment she gave him, and saw the names of four books.

"Now, you don't have to have four of these memorized by the time you get back, but I would like you to look them over. If you would like, we can start this again next term."

Harry smiled at her. "Thank you," he said simply, and grabbed his bag, headed out of the infirmary.

"Potter," she said, stopping him before he left. "Just so you know, every person that Clare and Daphne healed last weekend, that is because of you. You insipired, taught, and nurtured those two. They wouldn't even have thought of healing if you hadn't shown that it was something that students can do. I just want you to remember that the next time you start feeling guilty about this war."

It was scary how much she seemed to have seen that week, Harry thought. "Thank you, Madame," he repeated.

"I think that, when we're alone, you can call me Poppy," she offered him with a smile, and then turned and went back to her office, leaving Harry gaping after her.

He shook himself out of the stupor that the most recent bombshell had left him, and went back to his dorm. He was tired enough, that all he wanted to do was crawl in bed and sleep.

Sure enough, Harry just barely greeted his friends before he fell, fully clothed onto his bed and passed out.

* * *

**Once again, lots in this chapter. Hope the trio's conversation was alright, I was just trying to make it realistic.**

**The mini speech to Snape was something that had been bothering me for a while. I mean, come on! How stupid did Snape have to be to take the 'advice' of a known enemy without being paranoid?**


	40. Chapter 40

**Thanks for all of the well wishes for my health, they've helped a lot! I'm still in absurd amounts of pain, but hopefully I'll be getting better soon. **

**I am glad that so many people liked the last chapter. Like I said in the first A/N, I'm not going to redeem Snape right away; he'll still come off like a jerk more often than not. "The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters." Just because Snape might be on the Light side, doesn't necessarily mean that he's a good person. **

* * *

When Harry woke the next morning, he found himself frowning. He was still exhausted, though he could tell that he had slept in much later than usual despite such an early bedtime. However, for some reason the Dursleys were on his mind. He'd found himself wondering what Dudley was doing that summer without him to bully, where Petunia spent most of her time nowadays, and what Vernon would start doing when he got upset now that Harry wasn't there. There was something niggling at the back of his mind about them, but he shrugged it off. He supposed that it was simply the fact that this was going to be the first summer that he wouldn't see them. He wondered if anything ever happened about how they had treated him the year before, but he decided that it wasn't worth worrying about. After all, he was never going to see them again, so he wasn't going to waste time on those thoughts anymore.

Looking at the time, he cursed under his breath. His running group was likely nearly finished with their run, and everyone else was probably at breakfast. He knew that he had another harvesting session with Snape between lunch and dinner, and then the DA meeting after dinner.

He stood and stretched, deciding that he would wait on a shower until after he took a quick run. He wasn't going to go his usual distance, but he still needed to stretch his legs. He quickly dressed and took off on a quick jog. As he left the castle, he saw a light on at Hagrid's hut, and decided to stop in to see the professor.

Rather than going straight there, he took a few detours to run for a bit longer, but he still was barely breathing hard by the time he knocked on the door.

"'Arry!" Hagrid said happily, seeing the messy haired teen on his steps. "Come on in, I was jus' makin' breakf'st."

Harry sat down, and was quickly handed a plate of toast and eggs, with a giant mug of tea. It seemed that the giant had been working on his cooking lately, as the food was much better than the rock cakes, for which the half giant had become infamous for.

"So, 'ow are you doin', 'arry?" Hagrid asked, looking a bit worried.

Harry pushed the eggs around the plate a bit. "I've been preparing for the war for the past year, ever since the graveyard," he started, wondering how to put it. "It all just seems so inadequate now, you know? What does it matter who wins at Quidditch, or how many OWLs we get? What matters is making sure we survive this war."

"Hey now," Hagrid chided gently. "Ya can' think like that. Tell me sommat," he said suddenly. "Wha' are ya fightin' for?"

Harry thought about that. It was something that no one had ever asked him. The simple answer, to defeat Voldemort, while true, seemed inadequate. "The problem is bigger than Voldemort," he said, barely noticing the flinch that the name brought, he was so deep in his thoughts. "The idea that some people are less than human is what brought this about. We need people to realize that it doesn't matter if you're a Muggle, a halfblood, a pureblood, a werewolf, or a siren. They're still people, and deserve the same rights as the rest. Everyone deserves to live their lives without worrying about being killed, being rejected from a job, or treated like trash. Right now, the way the Wizarding world is, it keeps the hierarchy where it's at, no matter if we win the war or not."

Hagrid looked a bit taken aback by the response, clearly not having expected Harry to go that route. "Tha' seems a bit, erm, idealistic."

Harry jerked slightly, having been lost in his thoughts. He nodded slowly. "That's true, but it's what we're fighting for, right? Even if Voldemort is defeated, if we keep letting people grow up with the ideals their parents are giving them, we'll have another Dark Lord eventually."

Hagrid shrugged. "I don' know abou' that', but maybe."

Harry finished eating quickly. "Thanks, Hagrid. That helped." He didn't just mean the food, but also the epiphany.

"O' course," Hagrid said, taking the empty plate. "Yeh take care now, ya hear me?"

"Will do," Harry said, and quickly left. He ran back to the castle, took a scalding shower to clean up quickly, and then made his way to Sirius's office. He knocked on the door a bit harder than necessary, and Sirius quickly answered it.

"Harry," he said, surprised. "What's up?"

"Can you tell me about the law you and the other parents were thinking about pushing through the Wizengamot?" he asked.

Sirius's brows shot up, and he opened the door further, gesturing to Harry's usual chair. "Take a seat. First of all, I'll tell you who all I've been working with." When Harry nodded, he continued. "Well, there's Manuel Zabini, Augusta Longbottom, Molly and Arthur, Amos Diggory, my cousin Andromeda Tonks, and Xenophilius Lovegood. All of them, other than Diggory and Tonks have underage children in school, and over fourth year. Not to mention, they're all Light, and could be targeted. Now, the first thing to do is to create a proposal. That's something that we're leaving to Lovegood. Despite his reputation, he is a talented writer, and can be persuasive when he wants to be. Then, we have to present it to the Wizengamot during one of their sessions. Thankfully, most of us have seats, so that makes it easier. Each member will get a copy of the proposal to look over for a fortnight. Then comes the debates. That usually lasts for about a month, during which the proposal is torn into, and everyone tries to change it. If we're lucky, very lucky, we might have a new law by the next school year."

Harry nodded, taking all of that in. If the debates were still going on when he became Lord Potter, which came with a seat on the Wizengamot, then he would certainly try and affect it as well.

Sirius looked him over again. "This isn't something I want you to worry about," he said, a bit worried. "You have more than enough on your plate right now. I'll let you look over the proposal as soon as we finish it, though."

Harry nodded, still thinking. "Have you thought about approaching Madame Bones with this?" he asked curiously. "I mean, Susan is her niece, and she's my age. I'm sure she'd want her to be able to use magic."

Sirius nodded. "We've thought about it, and we might end up doing that. Right now, we're just trying to finish ironing out all of the kinks in it. We'll try and bring her in later when we have a better idea of what to do."

"What about the trials? Have you heard anything more about when they're having trials for the Death Eaters that attacked?" he asked.

Sirius shook his head. "No, though we've been pretty busy. I'm sure Albus has heard something. Given how often the Prophet is still talking about the attack, Fudge is going to have to have it soon, or he's going to have a riot on his hands."

"Will I be testifying this time?" Harry asked, unsure. "I mean, I know I gave a statement, but will they need to question me? I was the one that sort of captured Malfoy."

Sirius nodded. "I think you'll have to. I could speak against it, make it so that it's just Madame Bones that talks to you, but given that you'll be Lord Potter soon, I don't think that will look too great," he said apologetically.

Harry shook his head. "I agree, it's best that I get used to this kind of thing. Not to mention with all the crap that family has been giving me over the years, I'll be happy to do what I can to get him locked away for as long as possible," he said with feeling.

Sirius smiled in pride. This was definitely his son, adopted or not. "So, what's your plan for the day?"

Harry told him about the basilisk harvesting after lunch, and the last advanced DA meeting after supper. "You know, the week between exams and the train ride home usually seems so much shorter."

Sirius barked a laugh at that. "Yeah, and how much time do you usually spend frantically trying to do as much as you can?"

"I'm granting you that one," Harry said with a small smile. "Usually it's lazing around and panicking about failing History and Potions. Well, that and how to save the school."

Sirius growled at the addition at the end. "Well, I'm hoping that the battle at Hogsmeade was enough for you this year."

"Amen to that," Harry said darkly, still remembering everything with crystal clarity.

They continued talking for a short while, and then had another quick language lesson. After practicing the goblin language, they switched to French. Since they were planning on going back in a few weeks, they both wanted to be ready, so they chatted for a while.

They parted for lunch, and Harry decided to sit with the Slytherins that time. It had been a while, in part because he was worried. He didn't want anyone to think that two of their house would be staying with him for part of the break. However, if he stayed away for too long, it would look even more suspicious. So, he decided to sit with the Greengrass sisters, and spent some time talking with them.

He nearly shuddered when he caught Malfoy's eye halfway through the meal. He didn't think he had ever seen such a look of loathing directed at him from his rival before, and it was a bit disconcerting. He knew that it was only a matter of time before there was another confrontation. There had been so much tension between the two of them, and Harry knew there had to be a breaking point eventually. He knew that he could best the blond in a fair fight, but those words had never been part of Malfoy's vocabulary. Harry excused himself when he had finished, and went back to the Tower to grab his bag again.

He found Snape waiting for him when he arrived at the entrance. "You're late," Snape told him with a scowl.

"Well, we didn't have a set time," Harry retorted. "You said after lunch. _Open_," he finished with a hiss, and the two of them made their way into the Chamber for a second time.

Their journey back to the Chamber was done in complete silence, and Snape only spoke to Harry in order to give him instructions on what to do. The blood and venom had finished draining that night, so Snape divided the vats up, and placed them aside.

They worked for a few hours to collect the muscle, the organs, and the bones. Part of Harry was concerned at how quiet it was, but he much preferred it over Snape's usual snapping and comments.

They divided everything that they needed, and worked to pack and power the containers to take back up. Though Harry had wished that things could have been a bit more pleasant while they worked, he knew that it was better than he'd expected. There had been no way he would have been able to get all of this done by himself, not matter how long he had taken on it.

When they were back at the top of the slide, Snape once again took out the boxes and handed them to Harry. With great effort, it seemed, he spoke calmly. "Like yesterday, get those to Professor Black and have him take them home. You don't want students to get a hold of that venom."

Harry shuddered at the thought of anyone having the most deadly poison in the world, and was also amazed that Snape actually called Sirius by name. "Thank you, sir," he said, using the same tone.

Snape just nodded curtly at him. "As far as some of the other ingredients, I would speak with Hagrid, he might be able to help you get the Thestral blood." With that said, he hefted the bag over his shoulder and left quickly.

Harry sighed as he watched the Potions professor leave, then looked at the time and got a shock. Dinner was about to begin, and he had to get clear across the castle to drop off the box at Sirius's office.

Once again, he wasn't there, but Harry didn't bother waiting around, and made his way back to the Great Hall for dinner. He ate with the Gryffindors that day, and tried his best to enjoy himself. He'd been working so hard that term, that he felt as though some of his friendships with a few of the others in his house had suffered. He spent most of the meal talking with Seamus and Dean about their summer plans. Apparently, they were both going to spend some time in Ireland with Seamus' family. He wished them both well, glad that they had a fun time planned.

After the meal was over, the advanced DA made their way to the Transfiguration room for their last meeting. Flitwick, as per usual, stationed himself in a chair by the door, and Harry went to stand in front of the crowd. There were a few of the newest members who Harry had allowed to move up.

He took a moment to look around. Grim expressions met his, and he realized that this was the first meeting with all of them, without Roger Davies.

"Today is going to be complete review," he told them, and saw each of them nod. "We'll start with the Patronus, and then move on to a couple of short duels. If there's something that you want to go over while we're here, just speak up."

They divided quickly, and within ten minutes, the room was filled with their animals floating around. The good feeling was almost tangible with so many in one place. Harry snuck a glance at Flitwick, who was bearing a face splitting smile as he looked around.

Harry went around, and got a third of the class to begin dueling while he worked with the rest, as there wasn't room for all of them to duel at the same time. He rotated the others after half an hour.

When they were all finished, they were sweaty, sore, and tired. Harry had worked all of them hard, having them constantly moving and casting. He moved until he was at the front yet again, and paused. "Okay, you all know that I'm having a final meeting with both groups of the Defense Association, so I'll wait until then for the rest of the goodbyes, but there was one thing that I wanted to say right now." He paused again to get his thoughts together. "Thank you for your work at Hogsmeade. No one tried to be a hero that day and go off on their own. You used what you've learned to get yourselves and others to safety, which is exactly what I would have wanted. I'm sure you've all realized that the war is going to be picking up from here on out. I don't want to be reading about any of you getting hurt or killed because you thought you could take on Death Eaters. That's not what this was about. This was about giving you guys what you need to keep yourselves alive through this war." He looked around at all of the serious faces gazing back at him. "Thank you," he finished simply, and with a single nod, walked out of the room, Hermione and Ron right behind him.

When they got back to the Tower, Harry filled them in quickly and quietly about how he and Snape had harvested the Basilisk, and they were both grinning at the end, particularly when Harry told them what he'd said to Snape.

"I think it was what he needed to hear," Hermione said. "It's ridiculous that he's held onto an old grudge for so long. Maybe that was the kick in the arse he needed."

Harry sincerely hoped so.

* * *

The next day, Harry went on the run with the rest, knowing that it was the last time they would run together. The following day was graduation and then the train ride home. He gave a quiet thanks to all of them, though nothing close to what he'd done the night before. As they made their way up to the castle for breakfast, Harry chose to go see Hagrid again.

He really had missed his biggest friend while he'd been gone, and knew that with summer starting the next day for him, it would be a while before he saw him again. He knocked on the wooden door, and Hagrid quickly opened the door.

"It's good ta see yeh again, 'arry," Hagrid said with a smile, and motioned for him to come inside. "I was 'oping yeh would come again, so I made extra." He gave Harry a plate, and the two ate in silence for a while.

"Hey Hagrid," Harry began. He'd finished eating, and was nursing the tea. "My mum left her potions journal, and I found it a while back."

"Is tha' righ'?" Hagrid asked, interested.

"Well, there's a lot of ingredients that I need, and I have no idea where I can get them. Do you think there's any way you could help me out?"

Hagrid's bushy brows rose at the request, and he thought about it. "Well, it depends on wha' yeh need," he said.

"Well, there's a few plants that I haven't heard of before, but there's also Thestral blood, and unicorn hoof."

Hagrid considered, and finally nodded. "Send yer owl with a list, I'll see wha' I can do fer yeh."

"Thanks," Harry said with gratitude. He really wanted to keep working on that potion. After everything he'd read about repeated exposure to it made his skin crawl, and he just wanted to do what he could to help. "So, what are you going to be doing this summer?" he asked, curious.

"I gotta be stayin' here," Hagrid told him. "I missed a lot while I was gone, an' the grounds are a mess, le' me tell yeh."

Harry nodded in understanding, and leaned back. Something about Hagrid's cabin, it just made him feel relaxed and at home. That was something that he needed after the past week.

After lunch, Harry went to the Room with the rest of the smaller advanced study group. It was a fairly relaxed atmosphere as they all practiced. Some of them wanted to practice on the targets for a while, some were in a corner reading, and others were working with the dummies.

One by one, they slowly migrated to the side and all started talking. Harry preferred to be on the outskirts of the conversation, content to just listen. He was still thrilled at the difference of this year as compared to the year before in regards to the friends that he had made.

One thing that Harry noticed was the conspiratorial looks that were exchanged between the twins and Anthony. He bit back a groan, and wondered whether it was a smart idea to have them join forces. "Alright," he finally demanded, interrupting Susan, "what are you three grinning about?"

"My dear, wonderful sponsor,"

"Why would you ever think,"

"That we were up to anything?"

Harry raised a single brow, and Anthony started chuckling. "We had something, but we were going to wait until right before we all left. I guess we could go ahead," he said, looking at the twins.

Fred sighed dramatically. "Very well. George, if you would like to do the honors?"

"I would love to, my handsome twin." George grabbed a small bag that he'd brought in, and opened it, motioning to Anthony to join him. "We had a certain individual who introduced us to a Runes genius," he said with a wink at Anthony, who just grinned self consciously. "He had a brilliant idea, and the three of us have been working around the clock to get these finished before we leave."

"Think of them as our going away gift to you," Fred interjected, his face serious for once.

George handed Ginny a leather armband, and she glanced at the twins, before slipping it onto her wrist, where it magically adjusted until it fit perfectly. "What does it do?" she asked curiously.

He handed one to Hermione, who chose to examine it closely. She gasped when she saw the inside. "Runes! These look amazing!"

Harry turned to Anthony in shock. It was one thing to practice carving on occasion, but this must have taken him forever.

Anthony saw the look and shrugged as he shook his head. "They actually know some basic Runes. I just showed them which ones would be best, and the three of us did this a few days ago. It was their idea to wait until today."

"They should work for most minor spells."

"Perfect for if a coward tried to curse you from behind," George finished darkly. He knew that Malfoy Sr. had cursed Harry from behind; it was the only explanation that fit.

They finished passing them out, and everyone hurried to put them on. "We'll be selling these in the shop, but they aren't going to be Rune'd. It'll be a simple charm instead," Fred told them.

They all nodded in understanding, and Susan spoke up next. "Keeping on this subject," she started hesitantly, "I've been giving some thought to this summer. This group has some of the smartest people in a variety of subjects. I was wondering if anyone had given some thought to different research projects we could do over the summer." She looked around at the other twelve people in the room.

Blaise looked over at Harry, who nodded encouragingly. "I made a list of different potions that I was going to be working on over the summer," he said, and listed them out.

"If you need some help, feel free to owl me," Justin offered. He wasn't the absolute best at Potions, but he had a good mind for thinking outside the box. Blaise nodded his thanks, and others started looking around.

Lisa spoke up quietly. "I've been working with Susan lately; we've been doing a lot of reading ahead in Arithmancy. We've been experimenting slightly with spell creation."

Her quiet words ignited a lot of excitement and questions. Harry brought his fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly to get their attention. "Let's not bombard them, shall we?" he asked mildly, and everyone blushed at acting like first years. He turned to the Ravenclaw. "That's impressive. I thought that spell creation is one of the hardest fields there is?"

Lisa looked at Susan. The Ravenclaw was a lot more soft-spoken, though she had been getting better. Susan nodded at her. "It is, but there's a few reasons for that. Arithmancy, as many of you know, is really hard! Not many people are willing to go past the NEWT for it, much less any further. Also, the mere fact that people think it's so hard discourages a lot of people from even trying. Between the two of us, we've already read most of the books that the library has on the subject."

"If any of you come across others, if you're traveling during the summer, could you let us know?" Lisa asked, and everyone quickly nodded.

Harry bit his lip. He knew that his Arithmancy wasn't the best, but he was fascinated by the subject. "Could you guys send owl me what you have so far? I'd love to take a look at it," he asked.

Susan nodded knowingly. "I've already copied most of our notes for you. I figured you'd be interested. Do you have any books on it?"

He shrugged. "I have one or two, but I haven't had much of a chance to read them lately. Let me know the best ones you've found so far."

Hermione agreed, and asked for a copy as well. She was pretty decent at the subject, and he could see her being a big help. Once that conversation was finished, she looked around. "Anyone else have ideas for projects this summer?"

Neville raised his hand slightly. "I have a greenhouse at home, and I've already looked into breeding different plants, like the Fanged Geranium and Mandrakes. Professor Sprout was excited when I was talking about it, and she said that if I run into problems, I can always owl her about them. She said that if I can successfully breed two different plants, it might be able to count as my NEWT project."

Everyone smiled at that. Neville was improving greatly at all of us subjects, but Herbology was clearly his field of choice, and he was amazing at it.

Ginny glanced at Ron, who nodded. "The two of us have been working on strategies," she started, and Ron continued.

"Our dad gave us the titles of a few good Muggle books on strategies. I'm trying to see if my ability in chess can be expanded to fights like the one in Hogsmeade," he said, ears flaming.

Harry grinned. "Don't forget to practice flying," he reminded. "The fact that you were able to get an idea of their numbers made a big difference that day. A good book that you might enjoy is called **The Art of War**."

Ginny nodded. "I've already ordered a copy. It was the first that dad suggested."

Daphne spoke up next. "My mum is trying to help me get an internship at St. Mungo's," she told them. "I'm not the best dueler, but I've really loved learning how to heal. My sister's already been bugging me wanting to learn as well. Hopefully I can learn a few tricks over the summer that I can use."

Harry smiled at her. He was so glad that he'd helped her find her passion. Hermione was the last to speak up. "I'm looking into law. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, but unless we can get rid of a few discriminations, we'll never get the allies we need in order to win. Not to mention the fear that we might have to deal with another war like this in a few years."

Harry nodded. He'd spoken to her about his epiphany at Hagrid's, and was glad to see that she was going to be looking into it. Everyone turned to him, as he was the only one that hadn't had or joined an idea. He cleared his throat. "I'll be doing a lot in general, and only a little in particular." He shrugged at the confused looks. "I'd like you guys to keep me up to date on your own projects so that I can help out if need be. I'll be asking Rem – er, Professor Lupin – to help me jump ahead in the curriculum slightly. I'll also be looking into other magics that are out there, like house elf magic, sirens, and so on. I also have a pet potion project that I'll be exploring." It wasn't as though he could tell them that he hoped he could go soul-hunting in an attempt to eventually destroy Voldemort. Ron and Hermione just nodded at him, though, showing that they understood what he'd left unsaid.

They all nodded. Simply keeping up with everyone else's projects was a full time job, and an important one. It would help all of them to have a sounding board. Most of their projects were long term, and wouldn't be finished as soon as they all came back for the fall term. Harry would be doing quite a bit if he could help keep them all motivated and on track.

They all went back to the Great Hall for dinner and sat together. The last DA meeting with everyone was going to be right after, and there was a slight melancholic feel to the room. Sure, they were all ready to go home after such a long year, but the castle was home to a lot of them, and a lot of the friendships had solidified into something so much more.

Harry left the Hall before everyone else to get to the Transfiguration room first. As usual, he banished the desks and chairs to the far side of the room. Having close to a hundred students in one room would make it quite crowded as it was.

Flitwick was the first one in, and he sat by the door. It was his usual seat when he wasn't helping Harry with a demonstration, or breaking up an argument. He was careful to not take over the meetings. It was Harry's club, and he was only there to help when needed.

Everyone seemed to come into the room together, filling it to capacity. Ron and Hermione were at the front of the group, with the ten others from their advanced study group right behind. There was something that he wanted to do that was different than usual, and he hoped that it would go over alright; he was glad for the silent support that they were giving him.

"Thank you," he started, his voice strong and carrying through the room. "Thank all of you for your hard work this year. I know it hasn't always been easy, but you've stuck with me while I fumbled my way through learning how to teach." They all chuckled, some were grinning with their friends as they recalled funny events. "Next, I would like to thank Professor Flitwick for sponsoring us. Without all of his help, I don't think this would have gone nearly as smooth." The applause was much louder this time, and he waited for it to die down again. Time for the more difficult part. "I would like to end this year by having a moment of silence in order to remember those who have fallen. Complete silence, though I would like to go around the room, and anyone say the name of one who has fallen due to the Dark forces in this war, or the last."

Everyone was shocked, to say the least, but they all bowed their heads.

"I remember Cedric Diggory," Cho said quietly, eyes watering.

"I remember Roger Davies," Angelina whispered. As Captains, they had interacted quite a bit.

"I remember Edgar Bones," Susan said clearly. She had heard so many stories from her aunt, and wished she could have known him.

"I remember Gideon and Fabian Prewett," Ron said, voice wavering.

They continued, and nearly everyone had someone to name. Harry had heard of most of them, but there were a few that he didn't know. "I remember Lily and James Potter," Harry finished quietly, though his voice rang in the now silent room. Most had tears in their eyes, and he allowed the silence to stay for another few minutes as everyone gather their thoughts.

"I'm sure many of you are wondering why I did that. It's more important, now than ever, to remember why we are doing this. We are learning how to defend ourselves, not because I want to line each of you up on the battlefield and say 'Go'. No. The way that we can honor those who have fallen, those people that hold a very specific place in our hearts, is by protecting ourselves and those that are still here. We remember them, and what they stood for, because as this war progresses, things will get dark. The lines will appear to blur, and it'll be easy to lose sight of why we are doing this. At the start of the year, the lines that we had to overcome were clearly defined. They were the House lines. Over the past year, I've been overjoyed to see those lines virtually disappear. Now the line that we need to focus on," he said voice becoming more and more serious, and he remembered what it was like when he heard these words the year before, "is the line between what is right and what is easy." He finished with his speech, and saw the resolve harden on most everyone's faces. "Thank you," he repeated lamely, stepping down.

The applause was almost deafening that time, and Harry could feel his face flaming with embarrassment. They eventually quieted, and everyone came up to shake his hand before they left. Hermione and Ron waited for him, and Flitwick was the last one to come up to him. Everyone else had left, and it was just the three students and professor.

"Mr. Potter-Black, every time I think you can't surprise me anymore, you do," the tiny teacher said with feeling. "Thank you for all you've done." Without waiting for a response, he hurried to leave the room.

Harry was struck dumb, but quickly shook himself out of it. "Do you think it was too much?" he asked his friends.

"Hardly," Ron answered quickly. "I think it was exactly what people needed to hear."

"Agreed," Hermione stated simply.

They went back to the dorm to pack their things once again. Graduation was in the morning after breakfast, and the train back to Kings Cross was right after the Leaving Feast, so they wouldn't have time the next day.

Harry called Brianna on the mirror before he went to bed. He'd already endured the conversation with her parents, specifically Marco. Neither had been pleased about what had happened, but they also understood that it was hardly his fault. They had also known that having their daughter dating Harry Potter was not exactly going to be safe.

"Hey you," she greeted, quickly picking up her mirror. "You ready to go home?"

Harry flopped down on his bed, which was finally cleared of all his things, safely packed into his trunk. It was starting to get ratty after five years hard use, so he was going to ask Sirius if he could get a new one that summer.

"Yeah, I think so," he answered. "I'll miss everyone, but we're going to be keeping in touch, I'm sure."

"Is it still alright if I come over for dinner on Monday?" she asked.

"Yeah, that'd be great," he said with a contented sigh. He knew that it had only been a week since he'd seen her last, but it felt like months. "Don't forget that I have a few friends that'll be staying with me for about a week, so I won't be able to go over there until they leave." He had only given her the bare bones of the situation, always cautious of someone overhearing. The last thing he wanted to do was to endanger himself and Sirius, or even Blaise and Theo.

She grinned impishly at him. "Oh come on. I know the real reason you won't come over."

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Yes, dear?"

She laughed outright at that sarcastic comment. "You just don't want to have to deal with my parents for another week."

He exaggerated a shrug. "Well, I'll just consider that a side benefit."

"Brat," she giggled.

"No, in all honesty, I can't wait to visit you over there. I haven't seen the other guys in two months. It would be great to catch up with them."

She smiled at him. "Lucian was actually asking about you the other day."

Harry's brows rose at that. "Really? What did he have to say?"

"Well, the first few minutes were curses that he was going to use on you for putting me in danger," she hedged, and her eyes widened when he just chuckled at that. "After that was done, he wanted to make sure you weren't hurt too badly."

"That was nice of him," Harry responded dryly. Lucian was different that anyone he'd met before, and he kind of like the dynamic that they shared. "Oh, and tell your mum that there was something I wanted to talk with her about. It has to do with Potions."

She looked at him strangely for a moment, but nodded. "That sounds good. It might help get you in her good graces again."

Harry groaned. He'd been so worried about Voldemort, he'd never thought about dying by his girlfriend's parents' wands.

* * *

**This was a bit slower in terms of pace, but I liked it. Everyone is getting ready to go home for the summer, and continuing to come to terms with their individual roles in the war. The next chapter is going to be the graduation and end of the summer.  
**

**Also, I'm clearly taking liberties with the proposal of underage magic being used. I have no idea how they would pass laws in Wizarding Britain, so I'm making it up as I go along, though I have a few ideas. Underage magic has always been abused by purebloods, and left a lot of students at a disadvantage. The proposal is just a baby step in making things a bit more equal, which they all know. It won't solve things overnight, but anything worth doing is worth doing right, right?**


	41. Chapter 41

**I believe I owe all of you an explanation for my absence. I had the next three updates written and was on a roll when my hard drive crashed. My entire computer fried, and I lost _everything_. That includes my work for work, my work for school, and ALL of my stories (including a brand new HP oneshot). After that, I just got really apathetic about this one, because I just couldn't stand the idea of having to recreate so much that I'd already written. Finally, I started watching the movies again, hoping for a bit of motivation. It did give me enough juice to get this chapter written, and now I'm trying really hard to work on the next. **

**All of that, plus the fact that my neck has gotten worse, not better, has meant that I don't write as much as I used to. I'm getting an MRI done soon to see if there's any more issues with it that I'm not aware of yet. Fingers crossed I can get that done with quickly, because I'm tired of neck pain.**

**So, that's my complaint limit for the rest of the weekend :-) Please keep in mind that I will never abandon a story. I may take a hiatus, and have done so on previous stories, but I always finish them. This one will be finished eventually, I'm just no longer sure about the once a week updating schedule that I've stuck to for the past several months. Thank you in advance for your patience. **

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the Tower the following morning and ate a hurried breakfast with the rest of their House before making their way to the grounds. It was the first time that they would watch the graduation ceremony, rather than spend their last morning packing. There were many rows of seating sprawled out next to a stage and podium that were set up near the Lake.

There weren't many people that Harry recognized, but he did catch sight of the entire Weasley family, minus Percy. He gave them a quick wave, but couldn't find seats nearby. So the three made their way to a few empty seats close to the back. Harry wiped a bit of sweat off of his brow, as the day was quite warm, though it was only late morning. He exchanged smiles with Ron and Hermione, and knew that they were all thinking the same thing: two more years.

Their musings were interrupted by the music that began playing, and the soon to-be graduates made their way up and filed into the first few rows of seating. It made Harry smile to realize that all of the seventh years were arranged, not by house, but alphabetically.

Dumbledore stepped up to the podium and smiled at everyone. "I am proud to present to you your graduating class," he said, and everyone applauded. He waited until they were all quiet again before he continued. "While I am saddened to see so many of our students leaving, I am delighted that they are continuing on to the next chapter of their lives. To begin this ceremony, I would like to invite Alicia Spinnet, as this year's valedictorian, to the podium."

Harry and Ron exchanged shocked glances. They knew that their teammate was intelligent, but they hadn't realized that she was the top student.

Alicia stepped to the front, and pulled out a piece of parchment. She cleared her throat slightly, and nodded. "Thank you, Headmaster," she said. The podium must have had a spell on it, as her words were audible clear across the crowd. "I would like to start by thanking all of our professors that we have had over the years for all of their hard work. Without it, some of us might not have made it to where we stand today." All of the graduates applauded, and the teachers smiled. "I would also like to thank all of the parents that have nurtured us when we returned home. It was that love and care that allowed us to continue our education in a school that is regarded with such high standards. Most of all, thought, I would like to thank all of you, my fellow students. For the past seven years, we have lived together, fought with each other and defended each other. Train rides, feasts, Quidditch matches to play in and watch, trolls, and dragons are just a few of the things that have brought us together. I know that I, for one, will never forget the past four years, and remember them with much fondness." Her voice broke slightly on her next words. "There are two of us that are not here today that should be, and I remember them. Cedric and Roger should be one of the ones giving this speech. However, if I knew either of them as well as I would hope, I'm sure that they would both want us to be happy on this day, a day that we have earned through all of the trials we have faced. After today, we will all be headed off to whatever fate may have in store for us, and we will never again be able to return to this moment in time, when we are Hogwarts students. That does not mean that we can't carry with us the friendships that have sustained us through the years, the memories that will make us smile for years to come. We might not remember how to transfigure a turtle into a teacup, or be able to brew a Hair Raising Potion from memory, but those are not the only things that we learned while we were here, and in my opinion, they weren't the most important, though I'm sure a few of our professors might disagree with me." Laughter rippled through the crowd. Alicia smiled at everyone as she rolled up the parchment. "Now, we will here from a much wiser individual than myself, though that isn't all that hard to accomplish. I will leave you with the first piece of advice we were given seven years ago when we arrived here: Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus."

The trio laughed with the rest of the crowd at the use of Hogwart's motto, and Alicia stepped down from the podium, and Madam Bones stepped in her place.

"I am sure that all of you are wanting to do as your classmate has commented, and continue with the rest of your lives, so I will try and keep my speech short, and have only two bits of advice to impart on you," she began with a smile. "I was asked to speak here today, and I must admit, it is wonderful to return to this school. This is not the first time, however, as I have been here several times since my own graduation day. Graduating today does not mean that you must leave and never return. Your professors, who might have seemed so very strict and awful during your student years, do not want that. They are some of the leaders in their chosen fields, and by far the best resource you could have after you leave here. Taking advantage of that fact is one of the best decisions you could make. Come to visit, ask questions, or simply owl them. Taking the help of professionals is what professionals do, after all. Offering to buy them a meal might be a good gesture, however." The professors all chuckled at that. It was one of the telltale signs that a former student wanted advice, if they turned up out of the blue and asked them to tea or brought biscuits. "That was the first piece of advice. The second is, perhaps, a bit more pressing to you this week." She gave a slight dramatic pause as her gaze swept over the graduates. "Try to remember sobering potions for the morning."

There was a beat of shocked silence at that before everyone broke into laughter and applause at the same time. Who knew that they head of the DMLE had a sense of humor? Harry in particular felt a bit lighter than he had in a while.

"Thank you for such wonderful advice," Dumbledore said with a wide smile as the clapping slowed. "Now, on to the part that many of you have waited years for. The diplomas are usually handed out to students by the Headmaster, but this year I decided to delegate that wonderful responsibility to my Deputy, Professor McGonagall."

Minerva McGonagall stepped onto the stage, her arm still in a sling, and the noise, which had finally quieted, became deafening. She smiled slightly at that, and waved her good hand. "Enough of that. You didn't think that a scratch was going to keep me from seeing you off, did you?" she demanded, voice stern, but her eyes were dancing at the reception. The stack of diplomas floated next to her, and she began. "Robert Andres."

She went through the list of names with a smile on her face as she handed each of the students their diplomas, until she came to the end. "Fred Weasley."

One of the twins came up, and she glared hard. "George, I have not called your name yet," she told him sternly.

Fred elbowed his way past his brother and accepted the diploma with flourish. George did the same when offered his, and they grinned cheekily at her. "Couldn't let you leave,"

"Without trying that,"

"One more time," they said in tandem, and gave her a last grin before hurrying off the podium before she took out her wand.

Ron was chuckling at the antics of his brothers as the ceremony ended. He even threw his arm around Hermione's shoulders as they left. "So, do you have your valedictorian speech ready yet?" he asked.

Hermione just glowered at him for a moment before turning pink. "I have a few ideas," she admitted with a smile.

Harry watched them with a smile on his face as they made their way to the Great Hall. He wished he would have had a chance to speak with Professor McGonagall, but she had been mobbed after the ceremony. He could wait. The ceremony had taken longer than they had thought, and it was time for lunch. He spotted Blaise and Theo, who had gone to the ceremony as well, and muttered something to Ron and Hermione, who just nodded understandingly at him.

Harry walked casually over to them, and pulled two pouches from his robe. "Hey guys, you ready to head home?" he asked calmly as he slipped them, hopefully with no one being the wiser. "I know I'm ready for a nice quiet summer."

Blaise just nodded a fraction of an inch. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to spending time with my dad."

Harry leaned in slightly. "That's Floo Powder; enough for each of you to get from King's Cross to my place. Just say Black Abode when you toss that in. Sirius and I are Apparating, so we should beat you there," he breathed, and then just nodded at them. "I'll send you guys an owl. Maybe we can hang out sometime," he said normally.

Theo grinned. "Sounds like a plan. Take care, Potter."

He just gave them a sarcastic salute and hurried back to the other two, who were waiting for him near the Great Hall. Harry found that he couldn't pay much attention to Dumbledore's speech at the end. He couldn't help but think that things were going to be picking up over the summer, and his mind was racing with various things that he needed to do before that happened.

"Mate, you alright?" Ron asked, concerned.

Harry jerked slightly, and realized that his plate was empty and everyone was getting up to head to the train station. He had made it through the meal without even realizing what he was eating. It was a shame, since the Leaving Feast was always amazing. He couldn't really find it in himself to be upset about it, though. "Yeah, I'm alright," he assured his friends. "Let's get going so we can get a good compartment again."

The three of them met up with Ginny and Neville as they made their way onto the train, and the five of them found an empty compartment, and all leaned back with sighs. "What a year, huh?" Neville commented as Ron set up a chess set, and Hermione and Harry pulled out their own books to read.

Harry snorted. "Well, that's one way of putting it, I suppose."

Ginny giggled slightly at his tone, and switched places with Neville so that she could play her brother. "I wonder if Professor Lupin is going to teach Defense again next year."

Hermione thought about it. "If there really is a curse, I doubt it. I thought it was strange that he was able to teach it again, but maybe you can't teach two consecutive years?" she speculated aloud.

Everyone nodded, as it made sense. All of Hermione's ideas usually did, but it was helpful to think out loud sometimes. They each chipped in a little to that idea, but none of them had any idea of the position became cursed in the first place, so there was little that they could do other than speculate.

They lapsed into silence after a while, as they either read, played chess, or napped. The food trolley came by, and Harry bought enough for everyone, as had become tradition. They were visited on occasion by various members of the DA, but they all became tense after a couple hours. They knew that one of the visits promised to be a bit less than fun.

Sure enough, Draco, Goyle, and Crabbe arrived after they had finished eating, and right after Justin and Susan had left.

There was silence for a few breaths, as everyone glared. It was Harry who broke the silence. "You hate us, you're going to make sure we pay for what we did to you this year, and if you can't, then your father or his Master will," he said, sounding bored. "Is there anything that I missed?"

"Think you're so smart, do you?" Malfoy demanded.

Harry could tell that the worry for his trial was starting to eat away at his rival. His hair wasn't quite as perfect as it usually was, and there were darker patches of sweat on his robes. "You know, I do think so," he responded, but cut the tone back a bit and became serious. "You've been seeking us out on every train ride we've had since coming to the school. After a while, it becomes less concerning and more of an annoyance. You always say the same thing, and when you try and curse one of us, you get your ass handed to you. Why don't you retain a bit of the dignity you have left, and leave us in peace," he suggested.

Malfoy glared at him. "You've changed, Potter. You're not the little lapdog anymore. Tell me something. Even if you live to see the end of this war, are you going to be able to live with yourself?"

Harry raised a brow. That was quite a loaded question, especially considering who was doing the asking. "I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're asking. What, exactly, will I have trouble living with?" he asked, forcing himself to sound pleasant.

Malfoy scoffed at the tone, and at the question. "Don't say I've never warned you, Potter," he said, turning around to leave. He turned to look at Harry over his shoulder. "When you're cowering at the Dark Lord's feet, I hope you think about me. I'll be seeing you."

The group of five watched as Malfoy closed the door, and Neville was the first to speak. "What the hell was that about?" he demanded.

Harry leaned back into his seat, but kept his eyes on the door. "I'm not sure," he admitted lowly. "I wish I could find out."

The rest of the trip was tame, which wasn't surprising. They were all a bit subdued after the Slytherins' visit, so they stayed quiet. As they pulled into the station, Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged quick hugs. "Send me an owl later, would you?" he asked, and the two nodded at him.

"Be safe, mate," Ron muttered as they grabbed their things.

Harry gave him a grin and they all made their way to their families. Sirius grinned as he pulled down Harry's trunk and the empty cage. "Hedwig flying?"

Harry nodded at him and took the bulky cage from his father. "We ready to head back?" he asked, and Sirius nodded. With a quick twist, they were gone from the station, and landed back at home and into chaos.

* * *

There was a loud alarm blaring through the entire house, and bright orange lights flashed around the room. Theo was standing near the fireplace with his wand out and looking panicked. "What's going on?" he exclaimed, mirroring Harry's thoughts exactly.

Sirius had his wand in hand and with one wave, he dispelled the charms. "Come over here," he ordered Theo.

The teen looked to Harry, who just nodded at him. Sirius waved his wand several times over the boy, and scowled. "You had a tracking charm on you. Give me a second," he said, and mumbled a few words. "You're alright."

The Floo flared green, and Blaise stepped forward. The alarms began blaring again, and Harry cursed slightly under his breath as he winced. Blaise's eyes shot open in alarm as he raised his wand, looking for the threat.

Sirius repeated his motions, double checking the threat, but it was the same. "Tracking charm," Harry informed Blaise as Sirius removed it.

"Who do you think was responsible for it?" the older wizard asked, waving everyone forward as he checked the trunks for tampering.

Blaise and Theo looked at each other, and appeared to be having a silent conversation. "Milicent bumped into me when we were boarding," Theo said hesitantly.

Blaise nodded grimly. "She was flirting with me before you came into the compartment. She was the only other one that was in there besides you."

"I'm guessing she's part of Malfoy's crew?" Harry asked shrewdly.

Blaise snorted. "That's one way of putting it. He's been with Pansy for a few months…"

"Finally," Theo muttered to Harry's amusement.

"Exactly. Milicent is still hoping that he'll show some interest in her, so she's basically willing to do anything that he wants."

"Pig," Harry spat. Just another reason not to like the blond. "So, that's another person we know about. I was hoping she was on the fence, but I suppose not."

The two shook their heads. Sirius straightened. "There was a charm on yours, Harry," he said grimly. "Nasty thing, might have taken your hand off if you opened it."

Harry's stomach dropped. He hadn't even thought about checking his trunk. "Sirius, I…"

"I was going to check, regardless," Sirius told him with a nod. "I would have been surprised if there was nothing on it. I want to check you just to be safe, though."

Harry nodded, and felt a slight tingling over him, a bit more intense than the diagnostic spells Pomfrey would cast on him, but it was a similar feeling. "You're clean," Sirius assured him. "So, a few ground rules. There are a lot of wards in place here. If you want to leave the property, you need to let me know." Blaise and Theo shook their heads. They weren't going to chance anything right then. "Also, the wards come with a side benefit: the Ministry has no way of tracking underage magic, which means that, yes, you can practice here if you would like to. Please be careful, as I don't think we want to make a trip to St. Mungo's anytime soon. Lastly, I won't be here all the time. However, Professor Lupin will be available by Floo for the next week. If I'm not here, and you need anything, just call out Chez Lupin into the Floo. Any questions?" he asked, but they shook their heads. "Alright. Now, Harry, why don't you show these two where the guest rooms are, and I'll start working on dinner?"

Harry agreed, and waved to the other two. "They're up the stairs, follow me."

Sirius had cast a feather light charm on all three trunks, to it was just a matter of coordinating up the stairs. "Take whichever you want," he told them. "My room and Sirius's are down the other hallway. Mine is the last door on the right. Let me know if you need anything."

They just nodded at him, and picked rooms right across from each other. Harry left them to unpack, and went to his own room to do the same thing.

He sat down on the bed with a groan. It felt good to be back home. He knew that he and Sirius were still trying to figure out when they were going to be in France, but it would be nice to stay put for a while. He had a mental list of things he wanted to do, and simply relaxing, while not technically on the list, sounded pretty bloody great to him.

It didn't take him long to unpack his trunk of all his clothes and some of his books before he got bored and made his way down to see how Sirius was going with dinner.

"The other two still unpacking?"

Harry shrugged as his started pulling down the plates and glasses. "Not sure. They have a lot to talk about, I'm sure. I figure I'll wait until dinner's ready and then head up there."

"Sounds like a good idea. You mind checking on the oven?"

* * *

The four of them had a rather quiet dinner, each of them lost in their own thoughts. As soon as they were finished, Harry volunteered to do the dishes. Sirius chuckled and waved his wand, allowing the dishes to clean themselves. Harry grinned ruefully at forgetting, and nodded. He and the other two went to finish unpacking while Sirius went to his office.

Harry finished unpacking all of his things and laid down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. After he got tired off all the thoughts swimming through his mind, he decided to go and find Sirius.

Predictably, he was still in the office, pouring over stacks of parchment, with the door halfway open. Harry watched him for a moment, debating on whether or not to bother him, when he spoke without looking up.

"You can come in, you know."

Harry laughed and walked inside, settling comfortably in one of the chairs. "What are you working on?" he asked curiously.

"Looking at a few statements from Gringotts. It's more busy work, than anything." He finally laid the quill and the papers down and leaned back. "What's got you still up?"

Harry shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. What's on the agenda for tomorrow?"

"Well, the three of you will be by yourselves most of the day. I trust you'll refrain from trying to burn this place down?" he asked, raising a single brow.

Harry played his part well, and gave a shocked and innocent look. "Whyever would I do something like that?" he protested.

Sirius just gave him a look that clearly stated he wasn't buying it. "I'll be in a meeting with Gringotts for most of the day, I think," he said, and stifled a groan at the thought.

"What's wrong with that?" Harry asked, leaning forward slightly. "Do you think they're not going to help us anymore?" he asked.

Sirius rubbed the back of his neck as he considered how to respond. "It's not so much that," he said, "as it is they hate being snubbed. Since I left in the middle of our last meeting, Ragnok sees it as me wasting his time. He'll waste mine for a while until he decides that we're even and we can start talking business again. Never offend a goblin, Har," he advised.

Harry shuddered slightly. "Not on my list," he promised. "Want to practice the language?"

Sirius smiled. Harry was one of the hardest working students he'd met, which was apparently a far cry from who he'd been until the end of his fourth year. He stood and went to the shelves to grab the books that they used for practice.

* * *

By the time Harry entered the kitchen the next day, he could tell that Sirius had already left, so he went about making breakfast for himself. He was joined not long later by Blaise, who accepted a mug of tea with a nod of thanks.

"Where's Theo?" Harry asked as he drank his coffee.

Blaise laughed. "He's probably still sleeping. Have you ever seen him at breakfast on a weekend?"

Harry thought about it, and shook his head slowly. "Now that you mention it, I don't think I have, accept for Hogsmeade days."

"He likes to sleep in when he can. He gets insomnia sometimes, so this is his way of making up for it. That's his excuse anyway."

Harry chuckled at that as they finished their drinks. "What did you want to do today?"

"Want to brew?" he asked.

Sirius had told them the day before that he had indeed set up the basement as a temporary Potions room. There were cabinets full of ingredients, a few different sized cauldrons of different metals, and the cupboard with the Basilisk ingredients, though he'd told Harry about those in private. He had keyed the wards to only allow the two of them access.

So the two of them finished up their meals and went to explore the basement. They both grinned at the sight. Harry wondered how Sirius had the time to get all of it finished. Blaise found a copy of the usual sixth year book on one of the tables. "Guess he thinks you'll make it into the NEWT class."

"Nah, he just knows that I would keep going with it, regardless," Harry told him with a shrug. "Let's take a look, see what we could work on."

They found the Strengthening Solution, which was one of the first in the book. They decided that they each wanted a crack at it, so they pulled down the correct cauldrons, and started getting the ingredients. Thankfully, Sirius had ordered enough that they didn't deplete anything, though ti was close call for a few things. There was very little talking as they set to work. It was something that was familiar for the two of them, as they had been doing it together for several months now.

The instructions were quite tricky, which explained why the potion was a NEWT level. It required the brewer to be a rather accomplished multi-tasker. Dropping in salamander blood one drop at a time while stirring counterclockwise, and then lowering the heat to allow it to simmer for two minutes while you counted out five individual hag's hair and made sure that they were the exact length required, and placing them in the exact shape of a pentagon on top of the liquid… it made his head spin.

The textbook stated that the potion took four hours to brew and one to cool. However, Harry didn't make it that far. Two and a half hours into brewing, his cauldron began hissing, and then the bottom melted out, the potion began seeping onto the floor.

"Son of a…!" Harry muttered, quickly Vanishing it before it could do more harm to the rest of the room.

Blaise didn't say anything, though he looked far too amused for his own good, which Harry was quick to tell him. He just raise his hands in a gesture of surrender before continuing on his own potion.

Harry sighed as he considered. He didn't want to stat it over again, as he already had a headache from the time spent on it. He'd give it another try later. "I'm going to head up and check on Theo," he said, and Blaise nodded, keeping his eyes on the ingredient he was chopping with his silver knife.

He made his way upstairs, and found Theo in the kitchen making lunch. He wrinkled his nose slightly. "You smell like Potions."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Uh, yeah, that would be because I've been brewing," he said in a slow, sarcastic tone.

"Prat," Theo shot back, but there was no venom in his tone. "Blaise still down there?"

"Yeah, he should be finishing up in a little while."

Theo nodded and started eating. Harry sat down with him, and the silence was, surprisingly, alright. They hadn't spent a lot of time together just hanging out, like each of them did with Blaise. However, it seemed as though everything they had gone through together had paved the way for a tentative friendship.

They had continued their conversation even after eating, and that was how Blaise found them once he'd bottled his potion. It actually looked good, which made Blaise a bit of a pain for a while, as he seemed to enjoy teasing Harry about it.

Sirius arrived home not long later, and had a special guest with him. "Brianna," Harry breathed, and went to give her a hug. Sure, they had spoken through the mirrors nearly every day, but he hadn't seen her since the day after the Battle of Hogsmeade.

She squeezed him tightly, and greeted the Slytherins warmly. They had met that day, but a lot had happened, so she needed to be reminded of their names. "Dinner's in the oven," Harry told Sirius.

He gave his son a warm smile of thanks, and excused himself to wash up. Within a short while, they were all seated at the table. "So, what did you kids get up to today?" Sirius asked, sipping on a glass of wine as Theo dished up some of the casserole he saw Harry making earlier.

Blaise grinned. "Well, Harry here melted a cauldron."

Brianna giggled into her water, and took a moment to catch her breathe. Sirius barked a laugh at Harry's blush. "When was the last time you did that?" he inquired with far too much mirth, in Harry's opinion.

"Third year," he grumbled. "And that one wasn't even my fault. This time I just added too much feverfew. It won't happen again."

Sirius knew he meant the wasting of ingredients and a cauldron, but he wasn't going to address it now. He just smiled and shook his head. "Not the end of the world. Your mother melted so many while she was in hiding with your dad. I swear, they had me and Remus picking things up so often I thought we should just buy out an entire apothecary for her."

Harry drank in the words, loving to hear similarities between him and his mother. Instead of commenting, however, he turned to Blaise. "How did yours go?"

Blaise shrugged. "It was a bit thin, and the color was a shade or two too light. I don't think it was too bad for a first go at it, though."

Sirius asked if he could take a look at it later, and Blaise quickly agreed, but with a cocked head. The older wizard chuckled. "I have a NEWT in Potions. I don't brew quite as often as others do, but I know my way around a cauldron."

Blaise nodded, and stated that he would show his host the potion after supper.

The meal ended, and Sirius, Blaise, and Theo left, leaving Harry and Brianna to have some alone time. He led her to the couch, and they curled up together in front of the fireplace.

"How have you been?" she asked, tucked neatly under his arm, with her head resting on his chest.

"Glad to be back," he told her honestly. "I miss a few people already, but it'll be nice to spend time with Sirius and Remus. As soon as Blaise and Theo leave, I'll go over to your place and hang out with the others."

Brianna smiled. "Thom's been asking about you. He was wondering if you wanted to join us next week for a get together. Lucian's cousin is in the area for a while, but she's much younger than all of us."

Harry smiled as he kissed her hair, breathing in the scent. "I can't wait to go over there. I have Draco's trial starting next Monday, and I'm not sure how long that will last. It could be over in a day, or it might take a while."

She told him that she understood, and they planned for her to come again for dinner later in the week. It was nice that he was on vacation, and they could actually visit with each other more than just on the Hogsmeade weekends.

They lapsed into silence, simply enjoying the chance to hold each other. That was how Sirius found them a couple hours later, asleep.

He smiled at the sight, and gently shook Harry's shoulder. "Har, wake up."

"Whazzit?" he mumbled, blinking quickly to wake up.

"It's just me," he said quietly. "Brianna has to be home in five minutes. Figured I should wake you up."

Harry looked at the clock in surprise, and sure enough, he only had a few minutes to wake Brianna up and send her home. "Thank you," he told Sirius, who just nodded and went back to his office.

Harry kissed Brianna on the forehead as he moved her up slightly. She moaned quietly at that, and looked up at him. "What's going on?" she asked blearily.

"You've got to get home," he told her softly, and she groaned.

"Don' wanna," she muttered, burrowing more into his chest.

He smiled at the sight even as he pushed her up. "True, but we won't get the chance to do this again for a while if your father kills me for having you home late."

She finally sat up and ran her hands through her hair, glaring slightly at him. "So not fair, using the threat of my father against me."

"Hey, if it works!"

"Prat," she grumbled, but they stood together and exchanged a brief, but passionate kiss. "Call me tomorrow?"

"Definitely."

She disappeared through the green colored flames, and Harry went to find Sirius in his office, where he was once again piled under papers. He looked up as the door opened. "She get home alright, then?"

Harry nodded and sat down by the desk. "How did it go at Gringotts today?" he asked.

Sirius muttered something unpleasant under his breath. "They're making me sweat it for right now. I found out that Bellatrix did indeed open the vault while she was still a Black, though."

"Does that mean that, as Lord Black, you can legally enter it?" Harry asked eagerly, sitting forward slightly.

"Don't know yet. Ragnok was rather evasive on that. We scheduled another meeting a few days from now, and hopefully we'll get things figured out then."

Harry nodded and leaned back. Of course there was a bump in the road; he'd have been surprised, as well as a bit suspicious, if it was too easy for them. He sighed as they moved on to slightly lighter topics. "Is Remus still free tomorrow, you think?" he asked.

"I'm sure he is. He told you it was alright for you to visit in the morning. If something had come up, he would have let you know," Sirius told him. He wondered what Harry needed to talk to Remus about, but he figured he'd give the teen a bit of privacy. If it was extremely important, he'd find out one way or another. "I'd get to bed soon, though, if I were you. It's getting late."

Harry nodded and bade his father good night before heading back up to his room. This was the first time a summer had started out on such a good note, and he relished the feeling.

* * *

**This one was a bit slow, but I'll start having things pick up from here. I just needed this one to set a few things up.  
**

**To explain myself on one part, I don't know if Brits use the term 'valedictorian' to describe the top student of the year. I tried researching it, but I couldn't find it online. No offense meant. And I know the speeches weren't the best, but I hope their were alright.  
**


End file.
